At the Hems of the Lowest Clouds: Meditations on Navajo Landscapes

Educated in the creative and enduring traditions of her Navajo kinspeople and at Harvard University, Gloria Emerson has a special interest in the field of American Indian aesthetics and in how landscape translates into art among native peoples. "I cannot help but observe my people moving from post-colonialism and tribalism into mainstream American ways. The sociological, historical, and cultural contradictions are of interest to me and these are what I paint and write about. I am deeply concerned with the loss of our language and our traditional ways-I know there are many seats of wisdom within our culture, a culture that is rapidly changing. For me, writing and painting are the only means I know to comment on these changes." These poems, paintings, and personal reflections draw upon an ancient culture while crafting new visual and poetic "legends" to enrich our understanding of the significant places and stories that mark the traditional lands of the Navajo people. A book at once intimate, sweeping, and learned, At the Hems of the Lowest Clouds announces an important new Native American artistic voice.