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Op-Ed: Let Us Give Thanks

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With Thanksgiving coming soon, The Highland Support Project want to remind us that we can celebrate the holiday mindfully, by striving for a collective harmony that celebrates Indigenous cultures alongside American culture.

Giving thanks is a sacred cornerstone of Indigenous culture. When we host engagement trips to rural Indigenous communities in Guatemala each summer, there are always volunteers amazed at the apparent peace of the Indigenous people, despite all of the challenges and discrimination they face in their daily lives. When one is continually living a life of gratitude, it fosters a sense of internal contentment regardless of external adversity.  Among the Dakota and Lakota nations,

“Generosity and gratitude are so revered that the most powerful among us are not those who hoard wealth. Rather, they are those who give the most to others, especially to those who need it most. Materialism is frowned upon, and to be called stingy or greedy is considered a grave insult. We aim to give freely to our brethren without counting the cost.” (Ruth Hopkins, Aljazeera, 2019)

Indigenous populations in Canada hold seasonal ceremonies of gratitude, and according to Aboriginal Perspectives, “At the heart of every ceremony is gratitude to the Creator for the gift of life.” José Augusto Yac Noj, who is Mayan K’iche, explains, “When a person goes deeper into the Cosmovision, their entire life begins to revolve around spirituality. The calendar begins to guide one’s life completely, and each moment is one of gratitude.”

On the original Thanksgiving, there was a particular shared sense of gratitude between the Wampanoag tribe, who had struggled in their alliances with other tribes, and the Pilgrims, a fresh population of foreign refugees. The Wampanoag Nation held justifiable skepticism over an alliance with the Pilgrims, but Ousamequin, the tribe leader, “favored cultivating the English as military allies and sources of metal weaponry to fend off the Narragansett tribe to the West, who had escaped the epidemic and were using their newfound advantage in strength to reduce to Wampanoags to tributaries,” according to David J. Silverman, writing for The Atlantic.

The Wampanoag tribe hoped that the Pilgrims could provide the necessary fortifications to sustain their tribe against incoming conflict from neighboring tribes, all exacerbated by the stress of a pandemic. As the Pilgrims were equally in need of guidance to navigate their new terrain, solidarity was forged between these two outcast populations. Thanksgiving became a symbolic and literal breaking of bread between two unusual allies.

We fully acknowledge the ensuing and continuous harmful impact of settler colonialism on Indigenous populations, but view this event as an idealized hypothetical of interculturality. We intentionally opt into the term intercultural, as opposed to multicultural. As defined by the Spring Institute: 

“Multicultural refers to a society that contains several cultural or ethnic groups. People live alongside one another, but each cultural group does not necessarily have engaging interactions with each other. For example, in a multicultural neighborhood, people may frequent ethnic grocery stores and restaurants without really interacting with their neighbors from other countries… Intercultural describes communities in which there are a deep understanding and respect for all cultures. Intercultural communication focuses on the mutual exchange of ideas and cultural norms and the development of deep relationships. In an intercultural society, no one is left unchanged because everyone learns from one another and grows together.”

There is a poignancy in a reflection on this meal, as an “original” event of our country, juxtaposing with our current divisiveness. However, we recognize this holiday, especially with the context of its origin story, to be quintessential not just for “what could have been,” but also still “what could be.” Today, we are in an ironic repetition of history, where yet again, we are divided into clans amidst the backdrop of a pandemic… but yet again, unity is possible.

All in this country have initial roots elsewhere. We dream of using Thanksgiving as a model not for a “melting pot” phenomenon where cultures assimilate without holding onto their own spice, but of an intercultural society. Let us draw upon the potential for this to be a day of harmony and internal gratitude amidst external adversity. Use this day to celebrate and honor the culture of both your family and your neighbors. We embrace the philosophy of Buen Vivir, a way of living inspired by the Quechua people of the Andes that is “community-centric, ecologically-balanced, and culturally-sensitive,” according to The Guardian.

So, this Thanksgiving, let us give thanks and focus on “what could be” in our society. Let us strive for harmonious collectivity, inspired by the gratitude of Indigenous populations. Chief Seattle, chief of the Suquamish and the Duwamish tribes, said, “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” We encourage the celebration of and respect for the sacredness and interconnectedness of all life every day, especially on this Thanksgiving. 

Note: Op-Eds are contributions from guest writers and do not reflect editorial policy.

Top Image by Kylie Love Gatchalian

Monument Honoring Virginia Native Tribes Awaits Ceremony

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After years of planning and several months of construction, a monument honoring the lives, legacy, and achievements of Native American tribes in Virginia has been completed and now stands on the grounds of the state Capitol.

State officials are planning a ribbon cutting for the monument on April 17.

“I think everyone who has seen it is very much in awe and approves of what has been installed,” said Christopher K. Peace, R-97th District, vice chairman of the Virginia Indian Commemorative Commission.

The monument, titled “Mantle,” gets its name from Powhatan’s Mantle, a deerskin cloak said to be worn by the Native American chief; and its spiral shape was inspired by the nautilus, the self-replicating living fossil. Commission member Frances Broaddus-Crutchfield said the design symbolizes the endurance of Native American tribes.

“We wanted natural materials but also something that would endure, and that’s how we came up with stone,” Broaddus-Crutchfield said. “Once you get to the center of it, there’s a meditation area with an infinity pool where all the rivers in Virginia are engraved in the granite, all of which have Indian names.”

After reviewing submissions from several artists, Broaddus-Crutchfield said the commission appointed Mohawk installation artist Alan Michelson to create “Mantle.”

“We interviewed various artists, and Alan Michelson was the one who had the concept that we thought best represented what we were aiming for, which was the walkway,” Broaddus-Crutchfield said.

Here is how Michelson described the monument on the commission’s website:

“[Mantle] requires the visitor to neither look up nor look down, but invites one to enter—from the east—and participate in it. It is not conceived as a static monument to be venerated but an active one to be experienced by moving off the everyday grid and into the American Indian circle.”

Funding for “Mantle” came from the Running Strong for Indian Youth Foundation as well as private contributions and other fundraising efforts.

“The Capitol Square Preservation Council and the Virginia Capitol Foundation have been masterful in the fundraising efforts —  the most generous of which has come from members of our own commission,” Peace said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, planned for the morning of April 17, will be open to the public, Peace said at the commission’s meeting on Friday.  Gov. Ralph Northam and leaders of Virginia’s Native American tribes are expected to attend.

“The goal of the event is to officially commemorate this tribute,” commission member Colleen Dugan Messick said. “It’s important for us to have everyone who has been involved in “Mantle” since the very beginning there.”

While the monument has brought praise, one Virginia tribal leader said he is more focused on daily challenges.

“We have a good relationship with the state, but our focus is, now being a federally recognized tribe, working on economic development for our members, to help in education, healthcare, and housing,” said Brad Brown, the assistant chief of the Pamunkey Nation. “This monument does nothing to enhance our tribes or help our tribes.”

But Karenne Wood, a member of the Monacan Indian Nation and director of the Virginia Indian Heritage Program at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities said in an interview that “Mantle” is an important and unique tribute to all Native Americans.

“I think it’s a huge deal. In the past, the only acknowledgment of Native people in Virginia has been honoring Pocahontas, who has had a complicated history in Virginia,” Wood said. “This monument acknowledges the past and present of all Native people, and all of their ongoing contributions and stories, and it will be able to tell a much more interesting history.”

Story and Photos By: Yasmine Jumaa via Capital News Service

 

Review: Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival Gives Powerful Platform to Native Amercian filmmakers & Artists

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In a beautiful manifestation of native culture through film, The Pocahontas Reframed: Native American Storytellers Film Festival conveyed the importance of traditional storytelling in a world oversaturated with instantaneous information.

This past weekend, veterans of the French Film Festival, as well as some new collaborators, pulled together Richmond’s newest annual film festival in a free, three-day event at the Byrd Theatre. With 13 films and three performances, Richmonders were able to experience Native American culture, music, language, and customs.

Image may contain: 6 people

Each day of the festival was dedicated to a particular theme, beginning Friday with films that focus on retrospection of Native American history, including the documentary “Seasons” which explores the development of Earth’s forests, as well as a 1930 silent film titled, “The Silent Enemy,” which was accompanied by the Byrd’s famous Mighty Wurlitzer organ.

Saturday’s films explored stereotypes and misconceptions of Native American peoples and culture. Some of the films presented were “Reel Injun,” a documentary about the portrayal of native peoples in American film, as well as a narrative film titled, “Neither Wolf Nor Dog,” depicting the relationship between an aging Lakota elder and the white writer he chose to help him write a book.

Finally, Sunday’s films were either entirely about or written and directed by Native American women. I had the pleasure of attending two of the films and one performance this day, starting with a moving performance from Mohawk musician Elizabeth Hill, who sang original songs that combine traditional Native American music and stories with folk, blues, and country. She also performed several traditional Mohawk songs, whose tribal sounds and language evoked a nostalgic sadness from the audience. Hill, who is from Six Nations of the Grand River, Canada, wrote the score for the film, “Kissed by Lightning,” which was screened earlier that day.

Following her performance, the documentary “First Daughter and the Black Snake” tells the struggle of Winona LaDuke, a Native American environmentalist, economist, and writer who fought and continues to fight against crude oil pipelines disrupting her Ojibwe community’s sacred wild rice beds. The film was a particularly poignant choice as many communities across the country, including those in Virginia, are fighting their own pipeline battles.

The second film I was able to see was a narrative film about the true-life story of Mary Thompson Fisher, or “Te Ata,” her stage name as well as the name of the film. Fisher was a Broadway performer raised in the Chickasaw culture and became one of the most well-known Native American performers of all time. Although the film itself was low-budget, the story kept in line with the theme of the day as well as the festival.

Overall, the films chosen were meaningful and educational, and created a platform for Native American filmmakers to share their work, whereas there hasn’t been a Native American film festival on the East Coast. Now named the premiere Native American film festival, this annual event is sure to stick.

In partnership with Peter Kirkpatrick, co-founder of the French Film Festival, the Byrd Theatre’s general manager Todd Schall-Vess, and experienced sales executive Brad Brown, Native American director and actor George Aguilar was instrumental in organizing and creating this festival. Aguilar normally resides in Paris, but traveled to Richmond this weekend to support the festival.

The festival was sponsored this year by film director and producer Francis Ford Coppola, as well as Virginia’s 2019 Commemoration, ‘American Evolution.’ The 2019 Commemoration examines the continued impact from the 1619 collision of three cultures in Virginia: Virginia Indian, English and African. It explores the untold stories that have had an enduring impact on 400 years of history in both Virginia and the United States.

The Pocahontas Reframed: Native American Storytellers Film Festival Premieres Tonight

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In a celebration of native peoples and indigenous culture, Richmond will be hosting The Pocahontas Reframed: Native American Storytellers Film Festival (PRNASFF) this coming weekend.

The three-day free event will be held at the Byrd Theatre will feature multiple films and performances all focusing on Native American peoples, culture, language, and customs. Named the premiere East Coast Native American Film Festival, the event will be attended by producers, directors, and actors from the international and Native American film community, including the actors, directors, and producers of the featured films themselves. These individuals will be present for the duration of the weekend to discuss their films with audience members, with question-and-answer sessions after each film.

“There really has not been a really good Native American Film Festival on the East Coast,” said Brad Brown, PRNASFF Board of Directors member. “There have been a couple, but they haven’t lasted. This was really the idea {of} Peter Kirkpatrick.”

Kirkpatrick, in addition to being the co-founder of the French Film Festival, is a professor of Native American film at VCU. In collaboration with Native American director George Aguilar, Byrd Theatre General Manager Todd Schall-Vess, and Brown, the group began creating this new festival.

Film still: A Thousand Voices

“There needs to be a really good Native American film festival here in Richmond because of our history, including the history of the first contact with the Pamunkey tribe with the English in 1607,” Brown explained.

Those present will include George Aguilar, a PRNASFF director and International Native American Actor, Peter Kirkpatrick, and Pierre William Glenn, a cinematographer representing the Cannes International Film Festival.

All 16 films, as well as several featured performances, were written, directed, enacted and produced by Native Americans, presented in an effort to share and educate the Richmond community and surrounding communities on Native American history and culture. All films shown on Sunday are either written by or are specifically about Native American women.

“Every Emotion Costs”, a film by Darlene Naponse, centers around a woman named Quilla and her sister, June, as they return home to bury their mentally ill mother. “From medications to love, addiction revels in the characters’ lives, edifying their own personal rituals, pain, lust, and disappointment.”

“First Daughter and The Black Snake”, is another woman-focused film, which is a documentary that follows Winona LaDuke to prevent crude oil pipelines from destroying her Ojibwe community’s wild rice beds.

The performances will include Native American musicians as well as a sketch comedy group.

“There are so many good Native filmmakers, and their films just don’t get the exposure that Hollywood movies get,” Brown said. “We really wanted to give them more exposure to the public. We also wanted to not only include films, but we have musicians and comedians and artists. It’s Native American storytellers. It’s not just about film, it’s about how we tell stories in Native culture. We wanted to bring that to the public and try to expose some of the stereotypes and misconceptions about Native Americans for the public.”

The festival is sponsored by film director and producer Francis Ford Coppola, as well as Virginia’s 2019 Commemoration, ‘American Evolution.’ The 2019 Commemoration examines the continued impact from the 1619 collision of three cultures in Virginia: Virginia Indian, English and African. It explores the untold stories that have had an enduring impact on 400 years of history in both Virginia and the United States.

The festival begins tonight, Nov. 17 and will conclude Sunday,  Nov. 19 with a final film at 5 p.m. There is no charge for tickets, but seating is limited. You can see the entire schedule of films here.

VMFA’s Hear My Voice exhibit spotlights current & historical Native American art

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Upstairs at the VMFA, contemporary art is meeting traditional Native American crafts as the new exhibition “Hear My Voice: Native American Art of the Past and Present” opens a dialogue between Native American culture and the outside world.

Kay WalkingStick (Native American, Cherokee, b. 1935)
Four Directions/Stillness, 1994

The project, which is two years in the making, was curated by Dr. Johanna Minich, the assistant curator for Native American art. She hopes the exhibit will open a conversation about current, living, breathing native peoples and their artwork as the exhibit makes its way through Virginia, beginning at the VMFA this past Saturday.

“Native Americans are still here and still producing art,” Minich said. “A lot of people talk about Native Americans in the past tense, but they are still here, and I feel this exhibit really highlights that.”

Rather than following the more common chronological gallery style that so often accompanies Native art, Minich broke this exhibit into three larger themes that combine old and new. These three themes set up the artists against different conversations: community, nature, and the outsider. Objects in this exhibit range from 400 A.D. to present day.

“Other exhibitions have tried to show this broad range, and the typical way of showing that is this chronological notion, where you have the whole history of a particular people then at the end you have the contemporary work,” Minich said. “I feel that there’s this psychological break between historic and contemporary, so with this mash-up, I’m hoping that people will understand that these broad themes, like communicating nature or your community, are things that native people have always understood.”

Throughout the exhibit, six different ‘sound showers’ have been installed that play recordings of six artists who talk about their work. As part of the exhibit’s effort to create open dialogues, the recordings are first to allow patrons to actually hear the voices of these artists as well as provide insight into their work and process.

Crow War Shirt, 1850-1880

“Even today, these historic pieces really carry that Native voice into modern times,” Minich said. “The more we learn about the past, the more these objects really make sense. This was a person who actually created a thing with a purpose and a story to tell, and that person is still here.”

Alongside Native American staples of VMFA’s permanent collection, such as the Crow war shirt or carved rattles, works like that of Virgil Ortiz are displayed alongside them. Ortiz owns a fashion and jewelry line in New York, but also spends his time making traditional Cochiti Pueblo pottery at his home in New Mexico. “It’s been a really good experience to learn how all of these people respond to the modern world,” Minich said.

Minich hopes that by seeing these contemporary works which branch outside of what white America stereotypically believe is Native art, it will spark conversations about what it means to be Native American and how that identity has been embraced and developed.

“I have actually had people come up and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize that there were still native people,’” Minich said. “Granted, some of these groups have become much smaller, and some of them have actually expanded and their culture has grown. As a person living in America, it really behooves us to learn about that part of our history.”

Works in this exhibition have been drawn from the VMFA’s permanent collection as well as private collections, the Fralin Museum of Art at UVA and the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary, among others. In 2018, the exhibit will travel to the Museum of the Shenandoah valley in Winchester and will finish its state-wide tour at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke.

Virgil Ortiz, 2016

Throughout the exhibit’s duration, which will last until November 26, the VMFA will host a variety of events that focus on “Hear My Voice.” Events will be held from October 12 to October 14, including the ‘Hear My Voice Artist Panel’ in which three of the artists, Molly Murphy Adams, Jeremy Frey, and Virgil Ortiz, will visit the museum to talk about their work and answer audience questions. There will also be a college night and a basket weaving demonstration over that weekend.

“I think this exhibit opened at a time where we need to be reminded that dialogue and communication are paramount to our success as human beings, to be part of something that is bigger than just us, to be part of a community and to be part of an outside experience,” Minich said.