User:Slope108/Indigenous Futurism

Hayden's Section:

Themes (In indigenous futurism literature)

Talking about how the themes of indigenous futurism have to do with colonization, or how their society thrives in the absence of said colonization? maybe I could make a different section for both? and talk about the two groups in different contexts?

Space/Time Travel- "Time, according to Indigenous Futurists, encompasses and connects the past, present, and future all at once." This is represented most strongly in the cycle of life, pertaining to subjects, of birth and death. Space exploration in Indigenous futurism often imagines a future or a past where space exploration is free from the ideas of colonialism, and often moves in spite of it. Usually to reclaim a land that has been lost or a land that is under constant threat of being lost. Indigenous Futurism

Environmental sustainability- Both the indigenous populations of today and in the works of speculative fiction, each individual member of a community is often asked to take part in maintaining and sustaining the environment they are a part of. Nature is often viewed as a cycle, just like the life and death of a member of a community. And thus, they can contribute to the cycle they are apart of. http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/articles/decolonizing-science-fiction-and-imagining-futures-an-indigenous-futurisms-roundtable/

Revolution/ Anti-Colonialism Rhetoric- Much of Indigenous futurism exists as a way to speculate a future without the interference of the eastern countries. Namely Spain, France, and Britain. And explores the idea of what an American community would look like free of the colonization of Europe. Most of these stories include either a community, thriving on the same scale as modern America while being more symbiotic with its environment. Or a community of oppressed citizens/refugees who long to return to a time/space where such things were possible.https://www.gallery.ca/magazine/in-the-spotlight/indigenous-futurism-transcending-the-past-present-and-future

Two-Spirit- The term “Two Spirit” is a modern, pan-Indian, umbrella term used by some Indigenous peoples to describe those who fulfill a third gender ceremonial and social role in their cultures. Two Spirit was widely adopted in the 1990s to encompass the various non-binary gender identities and expressions among Indigenous peoples today.

Indigiqueer is a term that is used as an alternative to two-spirit. It does not rely on binary concepts of gender. There are many indigenous futurism stories written with indigiqueer themes. For example: How to Survive the Apocalypse for Native Girls by Two-Spirit Métis/Baawiting Nishnaane.

Sofia's Section

It is important to reiterate that the point of art is to make the viewer see and feel something. It is meant to influence opinions, values, and experiences. It is one of the earliest sources of work done with indigenous futurisms. Indigenous futurism has had a big impact on Chicana art overall. It calls attention to the past, present, and optimistic future. It gives views a new lens to view events on in a visual way. Her work depicts the culture as it has been passed down from ancestors to the present. Indigenous futurism, as a movement, has given many cultures, like Chicanas, a platform to spread their story. (insert this into the first paragraph)

https://riversideartmuseum.org/exhibits/indigenous-futurism/

Influence on Chicana Artists
Amparo Chi is an artist selected to showcase her work in the riverside art exhibit for indigenous futurism. Amparo Chi is a Chicana artist raised in Los Angeles, a city dense with Hispanic culture in many forms like art. She drew inspiration from murals by Chicano artists around the city and began her journey. Her work, Semillas de la Vida, depicts the culture as it has been passed down from ancestors to the present. All three people presented in the painting are women. One, who is the ancestor is dressed very colorfully with a head and filled with vibrant feathers. The second woman is older and looks to be the grandmother of the last, and youngest girl. The grandmother and her grand daughters hair is connected and seems to be significant as she passes down the culture and history or her heritage. A lot of her work has to do with the cultural impression that people leave on the younger generation. She is very determined to leave behind a legacy of the culture that shaped many. Her upbringing intensifies her views on continuing to pass culture down through community and educating others on its existence and meaning. Her goal is to educate others on the origins of her indigenous roots so they can continue to grow as the definition of indigenous futurism implies.

Another artist whose work reflects the connection of their heritage to the present in this exhibit is Andrea Ramirez. Her artwork, Arbol de la Pura Vida, captures a family tree of sorts that also happens to center around women. She developed her skills in her community with influence from her family that is Mexican and Costa Rican. There are many pieces in her work that are inspired by Otomi and Nahua traditions. The Otomi are indigenous people that inhabited the central plateau of Mexico. These people are very close-knit, especially with the bonds made between families or godparents. The Nahua are indigenous peoples that had occupied central Mexico. This community also fostered an environment of closeness between families. Being raised by parents from each of these cultures is clearly shown in her artwork that illustrates a family tree. It is a rather unique depiction due to the shape of the family tree. It is very colorful and decorated with other plants or fruit. Ramirez's work, Arbol de la Pura Vida, emphasizes to strong familial connects that are formed within this culture and that it remains many generations later.

Both artists grew up in very culturally rich areas where they had the ability and surroundings to learn about their culture and what it meant to them as they got older. They each communicate through their artwork their perspectives of their culture and how it will continue in the future. It seems to be very important to each that younger generations continue to keep the culture and everything that it encompasses alive. Without newer and younger generations continuing to practice the cultural traditions or beliefs then the culture would gradually die out. Art is a way to emphasize the meaning behind their urgency to continue their heritage and keep in touch with the history that their ancestors have lived through so that the next generations can keep growing.

Abby Aceves | Ariana Arroyo | Adriana Carranza | Melanie Cervantes | Amparo Chi | Rosy Cortez | Emilia Cruz | Stephanie Godoy | Mariana Gómez | Mariah Green | Jeshua | Belen Ledezma | Andrea Ramirez | Lilia Ramirez | Denise Silva | Maritza Torres | Sarah Vazquez | Mer Young. 2023. Indigenous Futurism, 2023-2024 Riverside Art Museum.