Linda Wettengel | “Sweet Gold”
This media file is attached to: Drawing
During my research I found that pineapples symbolize friendship and hospitality. Surprisingly, I also found that pineapples have a dark side as a product of colonization and appropriation that lead to oppression and slave labor. Pineapples originated in South America and were shipped to Hawaii by the Spanish around the late 18th century. Land for plantations was stolen from Hawaiian people who were “employed” in their production. While making this image I recognized that there may remain a cultural “pain” associated with pineapples that continues to affect descendants of those who endured that era.
