he convergence of this specific textile and the portrait of this young Diné Woman speaks to the fortitude of our people across many generations.
It’s “Colombus Day” and Sherry stands in protest against the celebration of the monstrous Christopher Columbus who’s voyage marked the beginning of the genocidal conquering of the Americas. His arrival on the Taino Peolple’s shores in 1492 released an onset of unrelenting attacks on Indignous Peoples very existence that continues even today. These attacks on our identities change with each generation, yet, we are still here. This piece addresses the darkest time and most violent attack in the memory of my people, the imprisonment at Fort Sumner known as Hweeldi. A time of intense suffering that many did not survive, it forged a scar on the cultural identity of our people. But it also made our ancestors reach for and embrace the greatest strength, resilience, and fortitude that too made its mark on our identity as Diné. We are still here due to this embrace and the strength laced within our identity continues to fortify us so that we may stand in the face of modern monsters that manifest in our daily lives. Some of these monsters appear as poverty, erasure of identity, environmental desecration, and false narratives of our history, not limited to but including the celebration of “Columbus Day.” The weaving itself stands as an act of resilience, and it combined with Sherry’s portrait stand as a testament to the cultural legacy of strength in the face of adversity that we as Diné have and will continue to pass on for generations to come.
