My Collaboration with the Nisenan Tribe - "Visibility Through Art"
I live in Nevada County on unceded Nisenan land. The Nisenan Tribe was once a thriving nation spread throughout the Western Sierra foothills, all the way to the Sacramento River. The Nisenan lived closely and harmoniously with this rich land, a hunter gather Tribe known for their extraordinary basket weaving. In an all-too-familiar story, this Tribe was all but exterminated during the Gold Rush when settlers came and completly changed the (literal and figurative) landscape forever. It is estimated that 80% of the Tribe was displaced, diseased or killed in the peak years of the Gold Rush. Generations later, the remaining Nisenan Tribe still resides in this area and are seeking restoration of their Federal Recognition which was illegally terminated. I am honored and humbled to have recently partnered with them to take part in their "Visibility Through Art" annual art show in Nevada City, CA. I was also able to recently fascilitate a collage workshop for Tribal Members which was a wonderful experience. The group art show (which is STACKED WITH TALENT) "Visibility Through Art" opens Oct. 8 from 6 to 9 pm at the Uba Seo Nisenan Arts and Cultural Center , 225 Broad Street Nevada City CA.
The collage I made for this show resides at the axis of intent to educate, acknowledgement of wrong doings in the not-so-distant past, and above all else as an opportunity for healing- a "cultivation of repair" as it were.
In Nisenan tradition, when a person dies, their soul goes to 'estom yanim to return back to the Creator. 'estom yanim is a miniature mountain range visible in Nevada County, one that has been grossly mislabled The Sutter Buttes. (John Sutter enslaved and murdered hundreds of Native peoples.) 'estom yanim is technically the world's smallest mountain range, it's a familiar regional landmark AND it is the Nisenan's spiritual gateway to the Cosmos.
I have no cheerful segway to the next part of my explanation bc to there is no pleasant way to remark on the Indian Boarding Schools. There were over 400 Indian boarding or residential schools in the USA and Canada from 1860 to 1969 (some references cite the schools ending much later). These schools were intended to assimilate Native children into Euro-American life, by stripping them of their cultural heritage. Children were forced without consent to go to the schools. They were widely known for their horrific and unspeakable abuses of Native children. Many children did not survive the Boarding Schools. The Nisenan Tribe were not spared the widespread atrocities of the boarding schools. Tribal Members Shelly and Ginger Covert shared that their relative went to Haskel Boarding School and died there; the family was never informed of how he died and his body was never returned. For Nisenan children never returned home from the Indian Boarding Schools their spiritual right of passage to 'estom yanim was forsaken.
In this collage, I have depicted two small children on their rightful soul's journey to 'estom yanim. This artwork is dedicated to the children stolen from this land. May their souls be peaceful and free. May they be rightfully returned home. May the yoke of trauma be lifted off by all of us.
On September 30, we honor the children forced to go to the Boarding Schools. Every Child Matters or Orange Shirt Day, is a National day for truth and reconcilation. It will be observed here in Grass Valley and all are invited to attend peacefully. See flier…
I am grateful to Shelly Covert and the entire Nisenan Tribe for educating and trusting me to create this artwork. Thank you to Curator Mira Clark for your facilitation and friendship. Thank you Ember for inspiring me to get involved. Thank you Kit Kohler for photographing the collage workshop. Thank you in advance to everyone who attends the "Visibility Through Art " show and supports this initiative. Thank you to this land, we are proud to call home.
“This artwork was created in collaboration with the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe guided by CHIRP's Visibility Through Art (VTA) Initiative. This intentional and informed collaboration includes hours of consultation with the Tribe and each year a theme is produced to best address their visibility needs. VTA is intended to generate Cultural awareness and build understanding about the Nisenan through art.”
Sources:
-Shelly Covert , Tribal Spokesperson and Nisenan Tribal Member
-Richard B. Johnson's "The History of Us - Nisenan Tribe of the Nevada City Rancheria" 2018
- Erin Blakemore,
"The Enslaved Native Americans Who Made The Gold Rush Possible" on History.com, 2018