© 2025 Abbetuck

Cultural Arts as a Movement

In 1883, the United State Congress banned Native dancing and ceremonies, including the Sun Dance, Ghost Dance and ceremonial feasts. This legislation was part of a broader effort to assimilate Native Americans and suppress their cultural practices. Congress fully lifted the ban in 1978. The Caddo tribe continues to perform the Ghost Dance as part of its cultural and spiritual practices. Image: The Minneapolis Journal, May 23, 1903.

Storytelling. Indigenous & Ethnic Art Forms. Ritual Performances That Transform Communities.

Cultural artists shape narratives that preserve history, challenge injustice, and foster belonging. How will you activate your craft today?

If you are a storyteller, Indigenous or ethnic artist, or ritual performer, here are ways you might harness your creativity and talents to inspire, mobilize and unite people around sociopolitical causes:

  • Tell Stories with a Purpose: Storytelling is resistance. Whether through oral traditions, ritual performances, or written narratives, your stories can reclaim lost histories, expose injustice, and spark movements. Art keeps truth alive.

  • Integrate Symbolism and Metaphor: Symbols transcend barriers. Infuse your work with imagery, allegory, and metaphor to provoke thought, challenge perceptions, and unveil hidden truths. Art connects past struggles to present realities.

  • Engage and Collaborate with the Community: Art thrives in community. Build shared projects that amplify voices, reflect lived experiences, and mobilize people toward change. Performances, workshops, and collective storytelling deepen connections and inspire action.

  • Utilize Traditional and Ethnic Art Forms: Tradition is activism. Revitalize ancestral art forms while weaving in contemporary themes. Whether through dance, sculpture, textiles, or oral histories, cultural artistry bridges generations and unites movements.

  • Activate Public Spaces: Culture belongs in the streets. Public performances, murals, and installations turn everyday spaces into platforms for visibility, discussion, and protest. Art in the open invites participation, fosters dialogue, and ignites change.

Tell Stories with a Purpose

The Center for Cultural Power activates artists to develop and share stories that disrupt disinformation and advance narratives. This inclusive storytelling initiative focuses on critical social issues like gender and health equity, climate justice, immigration and migration, civic engagement and racial justice.

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Integrate Symbolism and Metaphor

Folk storytellers use their voices and gestures to share stories that passed down through generations. These stories are often fictional and can teach, entertain, or commemorate events. The National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee showcases dozens of the best storytellers the United States.

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Engage and Collaborate with the Community

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) combines the ancient Aztec custom of celebrating ancestors with All Souls' Day, a holiday that Spanish brought to Mexico in the early 1500s. The holiday fosters community cohesion and cultural pride, as families come together to celebrate and remember their ancestors.

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Utilize Traditional and Ethnic Art Forms

Renowned for its elaborate puppets and complex musical styles, Wayang is an ancient form of storytelling that originated on the Indonesian island of Java. Wayang often addresses social and political issues. Performances can be risky, especially when they challenge the status quo or criticize powerful figures.

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Activate Public Spaces

El Anatsui is a sculptor from Ghana who has spent much of his career living and working in Nigeria. Typically, he uses discarded materials to create art works that draw connections between consumption, waste and the environment.

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In addition to being an important keeper of Singaporean Chinese heritage, Chinese Opera in Singapore has addressed social and political issues, including the struggles of the working class and the impact of government policies. Performances can be politically sensitive, especially when they critique the government or highlight social injustices.

Steve Connell of Spoken Cinema
Pachamama Rami

In the Andean countries of South America, Pachamama Rami is an annual festival and ritual that pays homage to the earth and its fertility. While it has religious significance, Pachamama also serves as a social event that emphasizes the importance of environmental stewardship and community solidarity.

Are you aware of cultural artists who are mobilizing meaningful change in the world with their art form?
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Abbetuck

Abbetuck
Dallas, Texas | USA

© 2025 Abbetuck

The arts transform. The arts defy. Will you?