Our Fall Featured Relatives
Nate Lemuel
Darklisted Photography
Yá’át’ééh shí éí Nate Lemuel yíníshyé’.
Tó’dích’íinii nishłį́.
’Kin l ichii'nii éí bá shíshchíín.
Hashk'aa hadzohi ’‘éí dashicheii.
Tachii'nii ‘éí dashinálí.
Hello my name is Nate Lemuel
I am of the Bitter Water Clan.
I am born for The Red House People clan.
Yucca Fruit-Strung-Out-In-A-Line clan are my maternal grandfathers.
Red Running Into the Water people clan are my paternal grandmothers.
I am from Shiprock, New Mexico. I am a visual enthusiast that can capture photographs in many different ways. I started photographing at a young age and continued to break out with digital imagery in my 20’s. I photographed at local Indigenous electronic/punk shows, fashion events, and started the practice of making my own brand at 28. I have had the opportunity to photograph in so many places, I’ve met so many different individuals in the process, and I continue to aim for higher opportunities to be successful at what I do. My professional mediums today are portraiture, landscape, and editorial. I am now venturing into digital film and movement of subjects. I have worked as a photographer since 2013 and continue to push myself as a digital artist into the future. Some of my favorite things to do when I don’t have my camera are hiking in the mountains, watching comedy films, spending time with my dogs, and of course I enjoy cooking.
www.darklistedphotography.com
Reflecting on 2020
My identity as an individual is important and every time I think about how I was raised, where I came from, who my family is, and what is important to learn daily, I see a reflection of who I am and where my attention beams to. This year has been such a tough year to process. Visually, I can say that I have seen some of the most anxious moments and I have also done my best to try and make moments better, whether it was helping others before I helped myself. My visual journey as an artist speaks so much to me today. I find so many friends who I continue to make great relationships with very inspiring. I started photographing in my youth with a film camera my father bought me when I was young. That grew on me to capture images at that age and over time, I began to experiment and study many different mediums of art with dimensions, subjects, and backgrounds of where I grew up as a child. As I get older, I have become more aware of who I am, learning things that can benefit me to help others, and of course utilize my space as an artist to capture other great moments. Moments that are natural, moments that are real, and moments that are unconventional. I want to bring out the best in my subjects when I photograph them. As I continue to move forward into the future, I want to make sure I am endlessly learning, progressing, and gaining opportunities to help contribute to future generations to come, especially my indigenous LGBTQ2S Folks. They mean so much to me because we all have a story to tell and that reflects so many layers of hardship to get to where we are now. I do think BIPOC folks deserve to be heard and seen. Our stories matter and we deserve to be as visible as possible today, everyday.
Mahalia Hunt
Usartarista
Cama’i, gui Nikllit. Kicarwik-mi sullianga. Elanka kirdarmew-wat.
Hello, my name is Red Salmon Moon, my English name is Mahalia Hunt. I was born in Anchorage, AK. My people are from Kodiak Island. I am Sugpiaq and Irish.
My dad had a beading box when I was a child full of every cut of bead imaginable and any finding you might need to fabricate beaded creations. He would sit my sibling and me down and open the treasure box, allowing us to bead for hours on end. Beading has always been in my life, and as I grew and learned I challenged myself with my craft. Beads were introduced to Kodiak Island Sugpiaq people by way of the fur trade with Russia. Eventually, beads symbolized wealth and were worn in intricate 5 foot long headdresses by the daughters of community leaders. With every bead, I pray for my ancestors who were enslaved by the Russians in order to hunt sea otters for their valuable pelts. With every bead, I pray for the thousands of Indigenous women across Turtle Island who go missing and murdered every year.
Usartarista means artist-craftsman-handworker in alutiit'sun. Although my main medium is beadwork, I have also incorporated welding, weaving and clay into my practice. I created my Instagram page to share my work and to continue challenging myself in my craft practice.
available work: www.fromthepeople.co/en/mahaliah
instagram: @usartarista and @hellzya
twitter: @hellzya_
Warren Mountain
WXMOUNTAIN
Boozhoo! My name is Warren Mountain, I’m Anishinaabe, and an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation. I’m Two-spirit and I prefer the pronouns either He/Him/His or They/Them.
I began creating beadwork when I was quite young and now I like to use it as a medium to add an indigenous flare on modern fashion. I always had an eye for beadwork, and slowly started to build my beadwork skill set to create the things I envisioned. What I enjoy most about this process is having the opportunity to look at the antique pieces that my ancestors created in peoples homes, social gatherings, and archives paying attention to the way the item was constructed. If I have the chance to look at an antique today, that piece clearly has construction elements that kept it intact for generations, some pieces even dating back pre-(American) contact. I spend countless hours creating beading appliqué pieces, so I hope to have it last generations. A piece to hand down to your kin with a design that transcends culture & adornment. I hope to keep alive the processes, and pay respect for our ancestors' cleverness on preserving the next generations. Mi’iw (that’s all).
www.wxmountain.com
If you would like to be featured or contribute to For our Relatives, we welcome you! We prioritize Black Indigenous relatives, so please reach out!
Email us at tyblkwater@gmail.com + miarw96@gmail.com