I am Haudenosaunee Cayuga Nation from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. It is in my DNA to tell stories through art, song, dance and poetry. I create because it gives me joy. I create out of the need to see myself, and to allow the voices of all that surrounds me to be heard. Art serves as a bridge across language as it communicates feelings and reveals the words that sometimes cannot be spoken. I am Indigenous and that carries colonial trauma. I know that I must carry the experience of my ancestors, but I need to allow the lingering of the trauma to guide me, not bury me. I have been damaged by many life experiences, I’ve suffered racism and abuse, and I know within my DNA I’ve inherited trauma. I can’t change what it is or rid myself of it, but I can decide how I carry it and allow it to teach me about myself and others around me. I know how important it is to acknowledge my own personal suffering and to honor the strength of spirit it has taken to carry it.
I have always had a process to my creativity. Music, space, and materials would be the tools needed to satisfy the motivation to create! I have come to know my process as a ceremony that honors the gift.
My studio time is my place. I honor the good, the bad, the difficult and confusing, all the bits and pieces of me. When I enter the sanctuary of my studio time, I am bringing myself to a ceremony and I give thanks for all its possibilities. In this space I can hear the voice of my ancestors and find ways to allow their voices to be heard.
I have begun to examine my own artistic expressions as having the capacity to carry complex meaning. I look for what exists in the symbols, and artistic utterances. I read them in their own language, understanding them with the heart, not the head; and so the story unfolds.
I have titled the image for the front cover of this book Rooted in Both Worlds. It tells of a story about a journey that requires effort, such as a climb. I know what it is to rely on the strong roots of your ancestors. Those roots feed us, nurture us, and provide stability. They guide us throughout our lives and provide us with the tools and wisdom to navigate the world around us. As Indigenous people we are required to travel in a world that is different from the one we know in our hearts, and we find ourselves with a foot in two worlds. But the memories, the values, and the teachings we have always known are carried with us in our blood, which we call blood memory. In Haudenosaunee culture, the Moon is our Grandmother who watches over us and with the stars guides