A lecture by historian and ethnologist Markéta Křížová as part of the Rudolfinum Gallery’s open lecture series CRASH is a program accompanying the exhibition Crested/mâcistan.

Ever since Columbus’s first voyage, the indigenous peoples of the Americas have held a special place in the European imagination. Unlike Asia and Africa, with which Europeans never lost contact, the Americas were a true “New World”—unknown and intriguing. In the Czech lands as well, “Indians” soon came to be seen as foreign, exotic beings.

During the 19th century, in connection with massive emigration—primarily to North America—and thus a greater number of eyewitness accounts, but also with the rise of new media such as popular literature and the press, photography, public performances, and panopticums, the image of the indigenous (North) American became firmly entrenched in the Czech context. At the same time, however, it acquired a distinctive characteristic that set it apart from the inhabitants of other continents—it became foreign, yet at the same time familiar.

The Czechs, who felt increasingly negative about their subordinate status within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, projected their own feelings onto the indigenous peoples being driven from their homes by Anglo-Saxon colonists. In the decades that followed, these imaginary bonds were reinforced by Czech translations of Karl May’s novels, the popularity of “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s Wild West Show, and the tramp and Scout movements. During the Cold War, further symbolic connections emerged in the form of “May-style” films and ostentatious anti-colonial Soviet discourse. And despite political changes, the indigenous peoples of North America remain close to the Czech imagination even today.

Markéta Křížová studied ethnology and history at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and serves as a professor at the Department of History there. Her research focuses on the history of indigenous cultures in Latin America and the colonial and modern history of the same region, particularly the relationships between indigenous peoples and Europeans and the impact of encounters with the American reality on European self-perception, as well as the history of modern utopias and the history of science.

CRASH: an informal lecture series offers participants the opportunity to reflect on the current exhibitions in a broader context through a series of meetings with inspiring guests. Thanks to the diversity of the invited guests, the series fosters the interdisciplinary approach essential for conducting any debate and for developing critical thinking. The interplay of diverse cultural and scientific disciplines, as well as different life experiences and perspectives, opens up a unique space for reformulating and rethinking specific issues.