Abstract

When I was asked to write an essay about beauty from a gendered or ethnic perspective, two Native American expressions came to my mind and served as inspiration: "Beauty surrounds us' and "Walk in beauty." "Walk in beauty" is a well-known Navajo saying and philosophical outlook. It encompasses both inner beauty and carrying oneself in a dignified manner the brings harmony to one's environment. The phrase is applicable to both women and men. The phrase "Beauty surrounds us" is also well known, although I do not know if it has a specific tribal origin. However, "Beauty Surrounds Us" was also the the title of a 2006 exhibit at the New York branch of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). . . .For the purposes of this feminist anthology, I will mainly focus on the beauty inherent in the female form, but I have to include some male examples as well to achieve the male/female balance that is so essential to native life.