Unbroken: Indigenous Peoples Today
Reyna Valdez, Aztec and Mescalero Apache Nations
"Our diversity, our uniqueness, is sacred to me. And I don't think that's what a lot of people understand, because they look at a Native person and sometimes they see us as something exotic or a novelty. I'm proud of having something to grow so much from, and say, these are the struggles, these are the stories, this is what took place. To be able to speak on it and get to the point of being a part of the movement, of people being curious and to continue to speak about my culture.
"There's this spectrum. There's not just black and white, like this binary where you're super indigenous or you're very modern. No, there's so much in-between and there's so much diversity of all different kinds of Natives. We're all just walking different paths.
"Thinking about it in a historical context, the Aztec Empire and the Apaches, my ancestors, were known for being warriors and I often self-proclaim myself either as a peaceful warrior or a spiritual warrior. I use that term a lot and I use it in a way that has to do with my resilience. And so I'm very proud of that. Like that warrior not in the sense of going to 'war' and fighting, but having that strength and that tenacity and that fighter's spirit.
"I think I'm the perfect example of the Native that other people don't think exist. Because most people think we're all out on a reservation or dead. We're not just a relic of the past. We're here. In all different shapes and forms and diversities. We're represented in so many different ways and I'm proud to be a part of that."
RaynaJeanfromAztecNationindigenousWomenportraitJasonSinnJason SinnJason Sinn PhotographyMexicaMēxihcahNahuatlactivismactivism photographeractivism photographyactivism portraitactivistactivist photographeractivist photographyamerican indianamerican indian photographyamerican indian portraitartart photographyartistartworkaztec cultureaztec fashionaztec nationaztec womancreativecreative photographycreative portraitcreative portrait photographycreative portraitureculturalcultural photographercultural photographycultural portraitcultural portrait photographycultureculture photographerculture photographyculture portraiteducationhuman rightsindigenous cultureindigenous peopleindigenous people todayindigenous peoples todayindigenous personindigenous photographyindigenous portrait photographyindigenous womanlovenativenative americannative american fashionnative american photographynative american portraitnative american portrait photographynative american womannative culturenative fashionnative lives matternative pridenative rightspeacephotographerphotographyphotography artphotoshootportrait photographerportrait photographyportraitsportraitureprofessional activismprofessional photographerprofessional photographyprotest photographerprotest photographyprotest portraitrayna jeanresistresistanceunbroken indigenous peoples todaywhite dresswisdom
