Not Your Indian Princess by Emily McKellar

not your

indian

PRINCESS

MISSION STATEMENT The goal of “Not Your Indian Princess” is to spread more awareness about Native feminist filmmakers and musicians who are making a difference and going against the mainstream representations of Native women in popular culture. After taking a class on Native feminism, these women inspired us to create a fan zine that will show readers like you how important Native Americans are to women’s movements and more. Because these artists are female Natives, it is especially important that we recognize and share with others their unique perspectives that are not often seen or discussed in the media. In the following pages you will read about four Native women filmmakers and musicians, who, through their work and activism, are preserving Native American culture and challenging dominant colonialist ideology. You will also find recommend places where you can access our featured artists’ work, or how you can hep them make a difference.

TABLE OF

contents

“Not Your Indian Princess” is intended for anyone interested in learning more about notable Native women artists. We think it would especially benefit those of you who are feminists, ethnic studies majors, or aspiring filmmakers and musicians.

Buffy Sainte-Marie 1-2 Sierra Melero

We hope you enjoy reading about these totally badass Native feminists, and are inspired to learn more and get involved. Thank you for your support!

Joanelle Romero 2-3

ABOUT US

The four authors were enrolled in Ethnic Studies 188, “Native American Women,” at the University of California, Riverside in Winter 2016.

EMILY MCKELLAR

MOANNA PHAN

SIERRA MELERO

CHLOE VILLANUEVA

Emily is a Media & Cultural Studies major. Her interests include analyzing popular culture, creative writing, cooking with her boyfriend, and hiking.

Sierra is majoring in Gender and Sexuality. She is interested in counseling for women’s trauma, reading mystery and historical fiction and non-fiction, and is currently teaching competitive Color Guard in Orange County.

Moanna is a double Media & Cultural Studies and Ethnic Studies major. Her interests include food, outdoors, and spending lots of time with her family.

Chloe is an Ethnic Studies major. She loves dogs, reading, yoga, and giving her friends free ice cream from her work.

Moanna Phan Joanne Shenandoah 3-4 Emily McKellar Elle-Maija Tailfeathers 4-5 Chloe Villanueva

BUFFY

SAINTE-MARIE 1

by Sierra Melero

& emily mckellar

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a singer/ songwriter, anti-war activist, PhD, an educator, artist and philanthropist. She was born on a Piapot Cree Indian reserve in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1941. She was orphaned as a baby and was adopted by a family and raised in Maine and Massachusetts. Buffy Sainte-Marie has released twenty albums since she started her music career in the 1960’s. She released her first album, “It’s My Way,” in 1964. She writes love songs, bluesy songs, and social critique songs about history and the treatment of Native Americans. As a result of the brutal truths she sings about, President Lyndon B. Johnson blacklisted Buffy Sainte-Marie. He ordered radio stations to take her music off of the air. When her music was blacklisted, she spent five years on Sesame Street teaching children that Indians still exist. She also travels to colleges and civic venues lecturing about songwriting, film scoring, Native American studies, women’s issues, and the Cradleboard Teaching Project, which she founded in 1996. Education is especially important to Buffy Sainte-Marie. According to cradleboard.org, her nonprofit organization is backed by lesson plans and curriculum that is “alive” and “interactive.” Their mission statements explains, “children learn with

and through their long-distance peers using the new technology alongside standard tools, and delivers the truth to little kids with the help of several American Indian colleges.” Similar to other educational activists featured in an article, “The Struggle for Hawaiian Education” by Sarah Rosenblatt, Buffy Sainte-Marie also believes that “relevant, culturally grounded, community and place-based education” will make a difference. This will help indigenous children “better understand where they come from, the value of their land, home, family and community, and they will also better understand the role they play.” Buffy Sainte-Marie received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions with the Cradleboard Teaching Project. She has won multiple awards, and is on the Canadian Walk of Fame and in the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Some of her songs are so influential that many other artists have covered her songs, such as Barbra Streisand, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, and Courtney Love. She is also an artist, and has been creating digital art since 1984. Buffy Sainte-Marie’s latest album just came out in 2015 and it’s called “Power in the Blood.” To listen to her music, visit buffysaint-marie.com.

Joanelle Romero, Founder of Red Nation Productions, is an established award winning filmmaker, actress, record producer, musician, entrepreneur and humanitarian. She is the founder of American Indian Heritage Month in Los Angeles, Red Nation Celebration, Red Nation Parade, Red Nation Film Festival, and the first American Indian Television Channel “Red Nation Television Channel-Native is Here.” This Native feminist uses her expertise to help navigate her companies and assist other indigenous artists who aren’t featured in mainstream media. Not only is she succeeding in a male-dominated industry, but she’s also kicking ass as a Native American woman. Born 1957 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Joanelle was introduced to the industry at the early age of three. She was the first child of Rita Rogers, a Mescalero Apache/Sephardic Jew, and Robert Romero, an Apache/Cheyenne mix. Her mother Rita was a successful actress who was signed to Universal Studios. Joanelle starred in the first Contemporary American Indian Women’s Story in “A Girl Called Hatter Fox” and “Pow Wow Highway.” These staple films helped pave the way for contemporary native filmmaking, as one is a Sundance award winning film. Soon after, she was discovered by Leonard Cohen as a singer/songwriter. Joanelle is the only American Indian artist that has ever been produced by Cohen. She then continued her work as she launched a concert series called “Native Women in Music.” Joanelle is also the only Native American to make the Academy’s Documentary Branch list for an Oscar Consideration. After countless films and song recordings, Joanelle decided to extend her love and dedication to the arts by creating Red Nation Celebration, a non-profit cultural arts organization. According to her resume on

her website, Joanelle serves as an expert with issues concerning American Indian and Indigenous representation. She works within the creative realm, in executive and technical positions in entertainment, and lobbies with industry executives to expand opportunities for Native peoples. She has provided and opened outlets for Natives to express their culture and community through the arts. In “Time Traveling Dogs,” by Angie Morril, she mentions the social and personal changes that have occurred as a result of settler colonialism and the non-spoken pasts (Morril 6). White America, like any monetarily powered social structure, is manipulating information to only show a certain aspect of history. Joanelle is the first Native woman to create a documentary comparing the genocide of American Indians to the Holocaust. United States history lacks correct information about the population and settlement of the Natives, who were displaced from their lands and forced to assimilate. Joanelle has made ground-breaking steps as she exposes the indecency that has happened to her community. Author Chris Finley also explains how stereotypes of Native people in popular culture helps perpetuate Native genocide. He states, “the fact that Native peoples are the ‘most commonly represented people in the world’ gives validity to the importance of unpacking these images to see what work these images serve because the gaze is often directed toward these images of Native peoples in many different visual and political contexts,” (Finley 192). There is a constant struggle with representing Natives in the industry without associating them as remnants of the past. Thankfully, through all of the companies and organizations Joanelle has created, Indigenous artists are able to reconstruct society’s views on their community.

JOANELLE romero by Moanna Phan

by emily mckellar

JOANNE SHENANDOAH

Award-winning musician Joanne Shenandoah is a total Native feminist. Not only is she a singer,composer, and acoustic guitarist, she is also a fierce activist for Native American women and children. As an Iroquois woman, her goal is to spread the message of peace and positivity through her music, which is described as a combination of traditional songs, melodies and instrumentation. In an interview about her work, Shenandoah said “I want everyone to know about how our Iroquois people influenced the world with freedom and liberty — one of our many gifts to humanity.” One of those gifts was music. She explains, “The Iroquois had songs for everything: forgiveness, planting, celebrating women, and death.” She also sings about the environment and the healing power of women. According to Shenandoah, women had very important roles in Iroquois society. She describes that they had “a social equality greater than the colonists who first came to America. Women decided when to go to war, they were caretakers of the land, and they took care of emotional and spiritual needs.” This quote directly addresses “settler colonialism,” a term that describes the active and gendered process of displacing Indigenous peoples. Along with stealing land, performing acts of violence and practicing racism, this system works to diminish social equality between Natives and whites. Shenandoah’s music teaches listeners about the importance of Native Americans, their contributions to the formation of the United States, and how they have always been advocates for democracy and women’s rights. Shenandoah explains, “women are considered the back bone of the community - spiritual advisors, counselors, healers. I am not aware of any

other culture where women have enjoyed such great freedom as among our people.” In 2013, Shenandoah served on the Task Force on Native American and Alaskan Native Children Exposed to Violence. According to an article published on the U.S. Department of Justice, “the vast majority of Native American and Alaskan Native children live in communities with very high rates of poverty and other problems, including domestic violence and child abuse.” Shenandoah worked with a committee to address the epidemic levels of violence faced by tribal children and youth. Their goal was to enhance public safety and strengthen Native American communities by ensuring children have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive, free from violence and fear. Other Native feminists and activists like Shenandoah have also been advocating for children, putting their efforts towards educations. In an article, “The Struggle for Hawaiian Education,” by Sarah Rosenblatt, educators discuss the same problems Shenandoah tackled as a member of the task force, further explaining that many Native children deal with “poverty, abuse, incarceration, and teen pregnancy.” Their goal, like the task force, is to “undo oppressive colonial rhetoric, build strong leadership, and sustain family and community.” Activism aside, Shenandoah has recorded more than 15 albums since her career launched in 1989. She has won over 40 music awards, including 13 Native American music awards. At age 58, she is unfortunately struggling with her health and is need of a liver transplant. According to her Go Fund Me account, the transplant will cost around $450,000. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/joanneshenandoah.

by Chloe villanueva

Elle-Maija

tailfeathers

Do you like film? Do you like reading countless articles about male Anglo filmmakers and the praise they receive for their hard work in the film industry? If you answered yes to both, you should probably stop reading this and go pick up literally any other magazine to find what you’re looking for. If you’re ready to read something different for a change, please continue. Or if you don’t like film at all, go read a book or whatever. Gradually, in more recent years, more women have been making headway in the film industry and receiving the attention they deserve for their work. But in most cases, these women are white actresses. It’s time the spotlight shifted to the talent of Native American women filmmakers. An important name that continues to pop up is Elle-Maija Tailfeathers. She is Blackfoot

and Sami from Norway descent. Elle has her bachelor’s degree in First Nations Studies with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies and is a graduate from Vancouver Film School. She has made a name for herself in the Native American film community. Using her knowledge of acting and filmmaking, she is creating films to call out many social injustices that her people face today. One of her projects in 2011, “Bloodland,” addresses the very real issue of gas and oil extraction on her home reserve. It also addresses the dangerous health risks that the corporations expose to people living on the reservation, much like what the Bikini islanders went through. According to the article, “Bikinis and other s/pacific n/oceans” by Teresia K. Teaiwa, between 1948-1956 the Marshall Islands

This resulted in the loss of indigenous people’s homes, and ultimately destroyed people’s health and even their next generation’s health. Elle’s relatives are put in the same danger for the sake of corporate greed, selfish growth, and a lack of respect. She made “Bloodland” while attending film school and was able to hire an all Native American cast. The film became widely recognized in many international film festivals, including the imagineNATIVE film festival. A more recent film written by Elle is “A Red Girl’s Reasoning.” Originally a short film, it portrays a Native American women that seeks revenge on the men that sexually assault indigenous women. The film was screened in many film festivals and recently won the Kodak Image Award at the 2013 Vancouver Women in Film Festival. According to an article,

“Elle-Maija Tailfeathers is Making her Mark as a Filmmaker,” by Eva Thomas, Elle “believes in the power of standing up for an important cause. She has been able to blend her filmmaking and activism and is currently working on a number of projects.” She is now working on a feature-length screenplay for “A Red Girl’s Reasoning.” Using this unique medium, Elle has created a voice for herself and on behalf of her indigenous relatives. She is breaking racial and gender norms while also creating art that does the same thing. She is attacking colonialism head on, and not holding back. Elle-Maija Tailfeathers is definitely a women to look out for in the film industry, and her work and talent will make strides for Native Americans and open more doors for aspiring indigenous filmmakers.

Citations All images courtesy of Google Images. “About Joanelle Romero.” UCLA Events. http://www.irle.ucla.edu/events/documents/ Romero_Joanelle.pdf. “Buffy Sainte-Marie.” Web. 2015. <buffysainte-marie.com> Eisenstadt, Marnie. “Joanne Shenandoah, Grammy winning Native American singer, needs a liver transplant.” Syracuse. 12 February 2016. <http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/ index.ssf/2016/02joanne_shenandoah_grammy_winning_native_american_singer_ needs_a_liver_transplant.html> Finely, Chris. “Violence, Genocide, and Captivity: Exploring Cultural Representations of Sacajawea as a Universal Mother of Conquest.” American Indian Culture and Research Journal 35. no. 4 (January 1, 2011). 191-208. Howell, Dave. “Grammy-winning native American singer’s goal is peace and positivity.” The Morning Call. 21 August 2015. <http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/lehigh-valleymusic/mc-joanne-shenandoahs-music-is-about-preserving-a-way-of-life-peace-andsaving-the-planet-20150821-post.html> Jenkins, Abbey. “Joanne Shenandoah: Oneida Iroquois, Advocate for Peace.” Utica Phoenix. 7 January 2014. <http://uticaphoenix.net/joanne-shenandoah-oneida-iroquoisadvocate-peace/> “Justice News.” United States Department of Justice. 13 November 2013. <https:// www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-eric-holder-announces-first-public-hearing-taskforce-examine-impact> “Mission Statement.” The Cradleboard Project. Web. 2002. <www.cradleboard.org> Morrill, Angie. “Time Traveling Dogs.” forthcoming in Cultural Studies<->Critical Methologies, pp.1-20 Norell, Brenda. “Joanne Shenandoah in need of liver transplant.” Censored News. 5 February 2016. <http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2016/02/joanne-shenandoah-in-need-ofliver.html> Poet, J. “Joanne Shenandoah: A Singing Spirit.” Hanksville. Accessed March 2, 2016. <http://www.hanksville.org/jpoet/shenandoah.html> Romero, Joanelle. “BIO & RESUME.” Accessed March 07, 2016. http://www. joanelleromero.com/resume/. Rosenblatt, Sarah. “The Struggle for Hawaiian Education.” 16 December 2015. truth-out. org. <http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33845-the-struggle-for-hawaiian-education> Teresia Teaiwa, “bikinis and other s/pacific n/oceans,” The Contemporary Pacific, Volume 6, Number 1, Spring 1994, 87-109 Thomas, Eva. “Elle-Maija Tailfeathers Is Making Her Mark as a Filmmaker.” Urban Native Mag. N.p., 3 June 2015. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.