Crafted by Culture

A look back at Indigenous Art and culture from around the world

Art is a critical tool in a culture or people's storytelling arsenal. It holds the capacity to allow us to speak words into something tangible, whether that be through paintings, objects, photographs, or other media. Equally important is its ability to tell stories around the natural world.

And while nature in the sense of plants and animals usually comes to mind when we think of David Attenborough’s work, his admirers tend to forget that he made an entire series documenting the lives and art of his own species: humans. In The Tribal Eye, we see David venture from continent to continent to bring the artistic practices of Native and Indigenous peoples front and center. In the spirit of this groundbreaking series, we asked curators around the world to tell us about a piece they think speaks volumes about the cultures they represent — how the artwork is a profound form of storytelling, and how it demonstrates the passing on of knowledge and tradition alongside the importance of harmony with nature.

The Battle by Stanley Grootboom | Cape Town, South Africa 

Words by Lukretia Booysen, Curator and Creative Entrepreneur | Kaiii Pty Ltd, and previously at Koena Art Institute 

About the Artwork: In The Battle, Grootboom channels his commitment to social protest, using art to confront societal forces he believes are threatening the fragility of rural South African communities and their historical Indigenous landscapes. Central to his broader mission of cultural preservation and awareness, The Battle has received significant recognition, including exhibition at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town and featured at international academic conferences.

True to his style, Grootboom incorporates natural materials that reconnect the work to the earth and to the resourcefulness of his ancestors. Although the title suggests physical conflict, many interpret the painting as a “spiritual battle” for cultural identity and dignity within a post-apartheid landscape. Moreso, the work suggests engagement with the idea of “battles” — whether fought within the memory of marginalized peoples, over cultural recognition, or against erasure.

The Battle also reflects themes of identity, survival, and resistance, using them as a metaphor for the ongoing challenges that Indigenous cultures face in modern-day society. Critics describe this work as emotionally resonant and thought-provoking, prompting reflection on cultural loss, resilience, and remembrance. The Battle stands as a powerful centerpiece in contemporary South African art, foregrounding Indigenous perspectives and lived histories, and challenging conventional historical narratives.

About the Artist: Stanley Grootboom is a South African painter and cultural activist whose work focuses on preserving and celebrating heritage, particularly in the Khoe and San communities. He is known for his compelling visual storytelling that reflects South African Indigenous identity, everyday life in rural villages, and the fragility of traditional communities in the face of modern change. 

Artwork credit: 
Stanley Grootboom, The Battle, 2019, mixed media, 2m x 1.5m, Old Gaol Museum, Knysna, South Africa

Eldest Daughter by Addie Roanhorse | Bentonville, Arkansas

Words by Jordan Poorman Cocker, Curator of Indigenous Art | Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

About the Artwork: Addie Roanhorse’s artwork and textile practice combine her Osage heritage into meaningful contemporary works of art. The roots of her textile artwork are rooted in the pre-Louisiana Purchase era, when France began colonizing America in the 16th century and continued into the following centuries as it established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. The antique moiré taffeta ribbons were exported to the Americas during the French colonial period and utilized in trade economies such as textiles and furs. Tribal nations incorporated the textiles into cultural regalia and fashion. The blending of these textile and social histories extends into Addie Roanhorse’s artwork today. This artwork, titled Eldest Daughter, was commissioned and created using Osage ribbon work techniques of cutting, folding, and sewing colored ribbons into geometric patterns. 

“I remember sitting under my aunt Georgeanne Robinsons’s sewing table as a little girl. My aunt Mary Bighorse inspired me; she was able to create these glorious pieces of clothing for my Osage people. Eldest children wear red in our community; I have such a deep respect for ribbon work artists in my family.” — Addie Roanhorse 

Artwork credit: 
Addie Roanhorse, Eldest Daughter, 2025, Wool selvedge, 11/10 Japanese seed beads, 24-karat gold electroplated onto glass, and rare moire taffeta rayon ribbon, 67 1/2 x 77 1/4 x 3/8 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2025.59. Photography by Tom McFetridge.

Messiah Luzab Lera Kaubo Arsir II by Mary Kaigey, Rita Lui, Helen Mabo, Garee Kaigey, Helen Dick, Delina Noah, Beverley Mabo, Segar Passi | Mer, Torres Strait, Queensland

Words by Myles Russell-Cook, Artistic Director and CEO | Australian Centre for Contemporary Art

About the Artwork: In 2017, eight artists on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait came together to produce one of the most ambitious collaborative works the island has ever produced. Messiah Luzab Lera Kaubo Arsir II translates in Meriam Mir language to, “The whole island of Mer, making things, making lei II.” This supersized body adornment features references to all eight tribes of Mer, represented as totemic animals and plants painted in enamel on metal discs.

For the people of Mer, the octopus (Arti) is a being of creation, with each of its eight tentacles representing one of the eight tribes. Arti has come to be a living symbol of collective unity, and the relationship Meriam people have with both land and sea.

The central decal was painted by senior elder Segar Passi, one of the most respected Torres Strait islander artists working today, renowned for his detailed depictions of that natural world on Mer. This monumental piece can be understood as an encyclopedia of Meriam life: hibiscus flowers from felt and milk bottle caps; bush tomatoes painted from coral, copper leaves, kulap and wongai seeds; and frayed rope adorn a school of totemic animals and two types of sardine, known as ari ari, and kos. Ari ari is long and thin, while kos is round and fat.

Sardines are profoundly important to the people of Mer. Each day, a giant shoal appears along the coastline — so thick that Meriam people developed a bamboo scoop called a weres to harvest them. So sacred are the sardines that the church on Mer features a fish scoop and five sardines beneath its blessing, giving thanks for the abundance they bring.

Artwork credit:
Mary Kaigey, Rita Lui, Helen Mabo, Garee Kaigey, Helen Dick, Delina Noah, Beverley Mabo, Segar Passi
Messiah Luzab Lera Kaubo Arsir II (The whole island of Mer, making things, making lei II), 2017
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, synthetic thread, synthetic wadding, synthetic fabric, wing seeds, shells, plastic, synthetic ribbon, copper, painted copper, painted metal, wood, nylon cord, painted plastic, coral, kulap seeds, steel, wongai seeds
155.0 × 95.0 × 10.5 cm (variable)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, Victorian Foundation for Living Australian Artists, 2018
© The artists. Photo: Michael Marzik