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Season 1 Episode 4 Reservation Dogs – The successful FX series follows four Native teens in Oklahoma – one of the protagonists Bear ( D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) wants to buy a beaded medallion for his far-off father, who is walking through town. Bear and his friends visited “Auntie B,” one of the best beading artists in their community, to take a closer look at the options: they came across quirky necklaces, including an all-beaded pickle and a purpose-built penis-shaped microphone . “It’s great, but I don’t know if my dad likes kimchi,” Bell said, examining the otherwise intricate craft.
These whimsical pieces in the exhibition reflect the work of real-life artists. They were created by Jill Kaasteen Meserve (@jill.kaasteen) of Lingit/Haida in Juneau, Alaska. “It’s so fun and surreal,” Meserve said of making hilarious work on the show (she’s a close friend of series co-creator Sterlin Harjo). “I like to create work that I hope will amuse people, what else is it funnier than a classic dick joke?” Meserve isn’t The only beading artist to rethink their traditional craft with a contemporary (if not cheesy) inclination: In Aboriginal communities, a new crop of beading artists is injecting a sense of humor into their jewellery creations. Two stand out in particular.
