Indigenous Life
Title: This is Native America #15: Indigenous Life
Created: 2024
Medium: Graphic Design
Software: Adobe Illustrator CC
Dimensions: 36″x48″
Comment
From 2020 to 2024, has your favorite artist or organizer said Black Lives Matter? Have they expressed Free Palestine/Gaza, or who is responsible for Settler Violence and Ethnic Cleansing? Or how Genocide or Land Back applies to all Indigenous Peoples?
Do they know, or have they talked to anyone from the communities?
Have they discussed police brutality or systemic racism? Have they discussed their complicity in working within capitalist structures (aka non-profits)?
Follow the trail to why these people are quiet in solidarity with Indigenous Folx worldwide. They are attached to and admire the oppressor. They desire the dopamine release from capitalism.
People show who they are in these times through their actions and words, or lack of them.
Post
“At IllumiNative, we are devastated by the violence, the taking of hostages, loss of life, and the suffering of innocent people as a result of the Israel-Hamas war. We have had numerous conversations internally and externally with our partners to determine how IllumiNative can best use our voice to have a positive impact on this international humanitarian crisis given our U.S.-focused mission.
IllumiNative is an organization dedicated to building power for Native peoples by amplifying contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues. We do this work to advance justice, equity, and self-determination for Native communities and Tribal Nations here in the U.S. Our work is rooted in the values of equity, justice, dignity, and love within our foundational belief that we are all related.
Based on these core values, we join and support the calls for:
-A ceasefire
-Safe return of the hostages
-Humanitarian aid
-Peace
We also want to take this moment to voice our firm stance against the alarming rise in Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism, hate speech, bullying, and harassment the current crisis in the Middle East has driven here at home. As we organize towards building a collective movement for justice, equity, and a multiracial democracy, where all communities can thrive and be safe, we pray that diverse communities can come together in good ways to listen respectfully to one another in support of nonviolent political solutions in the Middle East and for transformative change here in the U.S.
As we move forward in our work to build power and advance justice for Native communities in the U.S., we will also continue to encourage our team and our partners to follow their values and stand for the causes they believe in. The recent escalation in violence and loss of life has left many in our communities here in the U.S. frustrated, angry, and upset. We affirm our deep belief in unity and support of each other. We stand in solidarity and join the calls for a ceasefire, the safe return of the hostages, and the timely delivery of humanitarian aid to lay the foundations for long-lasting peace.”
– Illuminative, IllumiNative’s full statement on the crisis in the Middle East. November 17, 2023
References
Download
Download the 8.5″x11″ poster (.pdf), This is Native America 15 – Indigenous Life.
Close-Ups
This is Native America
This is Native America is a series of artworks by Ihanktonwan Dakota artist David Bernie that promotes issues and stories within Native American and First Nations communities.
Creative Commons License
This work by David Bernie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.
