Monday, August 22, 2016

JANESVILLE BEAR DANCE STAMPS/ Maidu Stamps by Eric Whollem/ MAIDEM KODOM/ Fantasy Postage Stamps



JANESVILLE BEAR DANCE
Maidem Kodom Post Office
2016
Eric Whollem
laser edition
copyright by the artist


THE JANESVILLE BEAR DANCE

Janesville, California, a  small town found on the edge of  the juniper and sage graced desert of the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, is the location of a yearly cultural celebration of the Maidu Indians of California.

The Maidu include many diverse 'tribal' divisions, including the Concow Maidu, fhe Mountain Maidu, the Tyme Maidu, the Nisenan Maidu, and the Mechoopda  Maidu. Other officially unrecognized groups such as the Honcut Maidu and the Konkow Valley Maidu, exist as well etc.

The Bear Dance is a very sacred ceremony. Pano, the black bear, is an important medicine animal of the Maidu.  I have included a link below which presents the story much better than I could.

THE BEAR DANCE:
http://sierravoices.com/2009/08/the-mountain-maidu-bear-dance/


The stamps here were created by myself. They, of course, are not real postage stamps, but stamps done to celebrate Maidu culture. 




JANESVILLE BEAR DANCE
Maidem Kodom Post Office
2016
Eric Whollem
laser edition/ color varieties
copyright by the artist
\


Below is a fantasy letter from Pano in Janesville to the people at the Flint Mine on Table Mountain, the original home of Kuksu. I created a series of similar envelopes in 2015. This letter is sent by Netdim Courier, which means Dream Courier. Yeponi means headman, or doctor.


A LETTER FROM PANO IN JANESVILLE
to the people at the Flint Mine in Hudli
2015
Eric Whollem
faux postage stamp cover
copyright by the artist


A History of Native American Tribal Stamps:

More blog posts about the Maidu Indians:

See more Maidu stamps:

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