Unbroken: Indigenous Peoples Today
Coyote Beadwork Bag by White River Ute and White Mountain Apache Contemporary Artist, Chelsea James
"This bag is a representation of the coyote that comes from our creation story in the Ute Tribe. In the beginning there was only Sinawav, our creator, and Coyote roaming around the world, and one day, Sinawav leaves and entrusts Coyote with this very important task of taking this bag and spreading these sticks equally across the land.
"But Coyote, as we know it, is very mischievous and very curious, and so Coyote opens the bag, and all these sticks start running out and going everywhere. They start wars, they start fighting with each other because they're so close together and they have no separation and have to fight for resources.
"But when Creator returns, he finds that there were some sticks still in the bag, and that was the Ute people, the 'Nuuchuu', which means the 'chosen people.' So he blesses the Ute tribe with 'Kava-Avich', which means the 'Rocky Mountains', because it's full of natural resources and holds a very spiritual place for Creator. He entrusts the Ute people for being noble and staying in the bag.
"I grew up with that story, and it touches me that our people were blessed with the Rocky Mountains and they were noble and obedient, but as a mixed person, I do challenge certain traditions and aesthetics within our culture. Obviously keeping what's sacred as sacred, but mostly challenging gender roles.
"I kind of started relating more towards the Coyote figure. Being mischievous and being curious, and being disobedient a little. Coyote for me is a very relatable character not only in the creation story, but personally how I navigate in life. So in my artwork, I kind of look at it as a woman going through life as this Coyote character. Wearing a mask and having these dress up situations embodying it."
UteandApachenativeAmericanContemporaryartistChelseaJamesBeadBagphotographyJasonSinnChelsea JamesJason SinnJason Sinn PhotographyWhite Mountain ApacheWhite River Uteactivismactivism photographeractivism photographyactivism portraitactivistactivist photographeractivist photographyamerican indianamerican indian bagamerican indian fashionamerican indian photographyamerican indian styleartart photographyartworkbead artbead bagbeadingbeadworkcolorful bagcontemporary artcoyotecoyote artcoyote facecreativecreative photographyculturalcultural photographercultural photographycultureculture photographerculture photographyeducationfacehuman rightsindigenousindigenous artindigenous cultureindigenous peopleindigenous people todayindigenous peoples todayindigenous portrait photographyleather bagleatherworklovenative americannative american astylenative american bagnative american bead artnative american beadworknative american contemporary artnative american fashionnative american leathernative american photographynative contemporary artnative culturenative lives matternative pridenative rightsnude artnude womanpeacephotographerphotography artphotoshootportraitportrait photographerportrait photographyprofessional activismprofessional photographerprofessional photographyprotest photographerprotest photographyprotest portraitresistresistanceunbroken indigenous peoples todaywisdom
