Native Movement Blog
Transcending Thinly Veiled Borders
Photos by Oliviah Franke
October 22nd, 2024 | Written By: Oliviah Franke
This year Anchorage is celebrating its 20th year of public Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) events, hosted this year by Out North and Radio Latina. Dia de Muertos is a holiday and ceremony rooted in Indigenous practices that honors our loved ones who have passed by welcoming their spirits to visit with us during a time when the veil between our worlds is thinnest. Ofrendas (offerings usually in the form of altars) are built with photographs, cempasuchil (marigolds), copal (an organic resin incense), papel picado (the intricately carved rainbow flags), water, salt, calaveras (decorative skulls), and pan de muerto (bread of the dead). All efforts are made to welcome our loved ones back with comfort and love, making sure that their favorite things are plentiful. At its core, Dia de Muertos is a celebration filled with joy and solemn awareness of life’s impermanence. Ceremony roots us in our connection to the spirit world and to mama pacha (the land).
Photos by Oliviah Franke
The belief that our ancestors and loved ones who have died are visiting with us in this living realm is deeply rooted in our Indigenous spirituality. Dia de Muertos has braided themes from Indigenous practices as well as Catholic influence from colonization. By integrating and adopting catholic symbols and ideas, Dia de Muertos has been able to persist and maintain its importance to culture across Abya Yala (1). The origins of Dia de Muertos are in Mexico and other parts of central Abya Yala.
________________________________________________________
1. Abya Yala is a name strongly supported by Indigenous peoples of the south to replace the word “America”. Abya Yala was the name the Cuna Indigenous people gave to the entire continent, meaning a ‘mature land’, or one that is bountiful. (Raices, El México Indigena en Alaska. Second Edition, Zagal et al. 2024).
Of course, there are celebrations across the world as our people find themselves spread out across lands, and we have found and cultivated a strong community here in Anchorage that have held this ceremony and celebration. Today there are many observances and protocols that vary greatly by region and person.
The kaleidoscope of Dia de los Muertos is made up of as many lenses as there are people that honor and celebrate. Some folks observe multiple days leading up to November 2nd, including a day to specifically honor children who have died (Dia de los Angelitos). Celebrating Dia de Muertos is a reclamation of our power and culture, an honoring of our community and identity. Our relationship to death is defined by this celebration and in our gathering, laughing, eating, singing, and dancing together.
For twenty years, we have been celebrating our ceremony and celebration on Dena'ina Ełnena. The Indigenous people of Abya Yala have always been connected, the threads of our stories interwoven across geography through the trading and gifting of what is most precious to us; songs, beads, clothing, prayers, language, and ways of being. There is a prophecy from relatives from the Amazon region that tells of the Eagle and Condor people. This spring our team was invited to support the start of the 2024 Peace and Dignity Journey in Fairbanks, where this prophecy was shared with us. The prophecy describes the separation of Eagle People of the north and Condor People of the south, characterized by masculine and feminine energies, respectively. The prophecy says that the Eagle people will become powerful and domineering, but ultimately there is a call for reconciliation, to ‘fly in the same sky’ and bring new levels of consciousness for humanity.
Photos by Oliviah Franke
In our work at Native Movement we tend to many things, and the continued tending to the threads that connect people from across Abya Yala, the Eagle and the Condor people, is an important component for working towards a liberated and thriving future for the people of Dena’ina Elnena. Our prosperity and the future in which we thrive is intertwined with the successes and struggles of the Indigenous people of Alaska. We must intentionally tend to our connections, to our ways of being, and share in reciprocity. We must gather and share in our grief, our joys, our celebrations, and when invited- our ceremonies.
As a person whose ancestors are from the lands now known as Sinaloa and Sonora Mexico, it is a gift to honor and celebrate Dia de Muertos as a visitor on these Dena’ina lands. Recognizing our loved ones who have died, while being in community helps us move through the hard parts of grief. But amongst those parts are also the joyful parts of grieving: sharing of stories and jokes, the connection and empathy that we can build for one another, and the taking up of space. Opening the doors of our culture to others and reaching across differences to share in this celebration together is done with reverence for the Indigenous people of these lands, as well as being a generous showing of trust and community. While our identities and cultures may present social divides, Dia de Muertos collaborations with the Native Movement team and community is a reaching across that thinly veiled divide, and our healing becomes collective.
Photos by Oliviah Franke
We heal from the impacts of colonization and the erasure of our people and cultures. We heal from the violence that our people experience, through the heartache of generations lost, and we heal through the joy of knowing that our ancestors are now friends, as they visit us and each other while enjoying the finest things we can offer them.
Join Us In Participating In This Year’s Dia de Muertos events!
Anchorage Craft Night! Join us in creating tissue paper flowers! Wednesday October 23, 2024, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Loussac Library (3600 Denali St. Anchorage)
We will be making tissue paper marigolds for community members to use to decorate their ofrendas. Marigolds are thought to attract the souls of the dead to the ofrendas prepared for them. Families will often scatter marigold petals forming a path from their front doors to the ofrenda waiting within the home.
We’ll provide free materials! This is a wonderful opportunity to learn, share stories, and come together as a community to heal and celebrate
Celebrate The 20th Dia de Muertos Celebration in Anchorage with the Native Movement Community Education team , Out North and Radio Latina!
Ofrendas are built with photographs, colorful flowers, incense, water, salt, and pan de muerto to welcome the spirits. In honor of 20 years of this celebration in Anchorage, there are many events open to the public to learn and celebrate.
Join us on November 1st, 2024 for an Alter Preview (4:00 - 8:00 p.m.) and on November 2nd, 2024 (5:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.) for the Main Event at 3400 Spenard Rd. Anchorage, AK, 99503. Both events are free and open to the public.
Joins for a Dia De Muertos Community Conversation Event on Sunday November 2rd in Anchorage (3400 Spenard Road) from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
This community conversation space is open to all and is a free event. Participants will share in personal stories and dialogue exploring how our cultures shape our understanding of death and the ways that we move through grief in community. The conversation will draw from a foundation of Dia de Muertos experiences but all perspectives, identities, and cultures are invited.
RSVP on Facebook Here.
A Time for Dancing: The 2024 Alaska Native Filmmakers Intensive 2024
Photo by: Maka Monture Paki
July 15, 2024 | Written By: Maka Monture Paki and Enei Begaye
“Native professional filmmakers teaching emerging Native filmmakers, filming Native storytellers – this feels like a real Native Movement!” Those were the words of Maddy Alvanna after spending a couple hours with her dance group at the 2024 Alaska Native Filmmakers Intensive.
April in Sitnasuak (Nome) Alaska was still full of snow and high winds, yet the second Alaska Native Filmmakers Intensive, hosted by Native Movement and Always Indigenous Media, was not deterred. The challenges of getting to rural Alaska in April were real, yet 15 student filmmakers, 5 Indigenous teachers, and 3 support staff were able to be at the week-long in-person intensive. The learning started well before that week, however, with 5 two-hour online zoom sessions every week leading up to the Nome in-person session.
Participants enhanced their filmmaking skills – delving into camera, audio, lighting, and editing techniques. Participants learned from Indigenous film professionals to foster mentor relationships within the industry. Training on narrative justice and photography was also provided. The footage is now going through a post-production process and screenings will be planned in the future.
“A powerful part to me was that the intensive underscored the critical importance of Indigenous narrative sovereignty, recognizing it as fundamental to preserving cultural heritage, reclaiming Indigenous voices, and challenging dominant narratives that often overlook or misrepresent Indigenous experiences.”
Our teachers brought a diverse range of skills and knowledge to the intensive, covering critical theory, creative direction, cinematography, sound, visual style, photography, storytelling, and more. Each one contributed uniquely to the Alaska Native filmmakers participating in the program.
This included:
Princess Johnson: Expertise: Critical and creative theory in filmmaking.
Alex Sallee: Expertise: Direction, sound, visual style.
Robert Hunter III: Expertise: Cinematography, camera build.
Razelle Benally: Expertise: Direction, perspective, and story development.
Jenny Irene Miller: Expertise: Photography and photography theory.
Rachel Edwardson: Expertise: Preparatory session and pre-production.
Photo by: Maka Monture Paki
Departing from conventional narratives, the final film will center on the drum's heartbeat as a symbol of resilience and unity. Amidst all that has happened in the community of Nome in the aftermath of Typhoon Merbok, in the community of Nome, the rhythm of the drum emerges as a guiding force, driving the community forward.
The role rotation system developed on set allowed students to gain practical experience in each of these essential filmmaking roles. This hands-on approach not only built technical skills but also fosters a well-rounded understanding of the collaborative nature of filmmaking. It's a great way for aspiring filmmakers to discover their strengths and interests within the industry. The students got to try out a different roles with including:
Assistant Camera:
As assistant camera operators, students would have assisted with camera setup, focusing, an operating the camera under the guidance of experienced instructors.
Supporting Talent:
There opportunities to work as supporting talent, collecting media releases and ensuring honorarium, and understanding how directors and crew interact with performers.
Directing:
Students had the opportunity to take on the role of a director, learning how to guide the overall vision of the film, work with actors, and make creative decisions.
Lighting:
They also practiced lighting techniques, which are crucial for setting the mood, highlighting subjects, and creating atmosphere in scenes.
Photo by: Maka Monture Paki
PARTICIPANTS ALSO RECEIVED:
A monetary stipend
Connections to experts in media-making
Travel, housing, food costs covered during the in-person session
Access to quality filmmaking equipment
WHAT PARTICIPANTS LEARNED:
Production and filmmaking tools to continue with telling our own stories from our own perspectives as Indigenous peoples.
Six weeks of pre-session that focused on narrative justice and Story development
Cinematic video camera setup and operations
Production set microphone setups and operations
Cinematic lighting setups and operations.
Video editing review tools
Career development and networking
A special thanks to instructors: Alex Sallee, Princess Johnson, Robert Hunter III, Razelle Benally, Jenny Irene Miller, and Rachel Edwardson. Quyana to our local partners, Kunaq Tahbone and the Katirvik Cultural Center, and the Community members from the community of Nome.
Photo by: Rodney Evans
Native Movement Training for Trainers Series
Have you thought about being a Native Movement trainer? You could be! Apply Today
We are now accepting applications for our 2023 Training for Trainers series. This series will begin in the Spring with an in person intensive, span through Summer with online skill building, and culminate with another in person intensive in the Fall. Together, we will share insight on what it means to build movements within communities, popular education theory & practice, and principles for public community learning.
We will begin with a weeklong gathering in May for participants to engage in our trainings, build community, and connect with our training staff.
Through the summer, we’ll continue building connections by studying our resource materials and meeting through Zoom biweekly to discuss prep/co-facilitation tips. Finally, we’ll meet in person for a week in September where participants will then practice facilitation of our training curriculum and get feedback from our organizers.
We hope to widen our training and facilitation community through this offering and collaboratively share knowledge with those who are interested. No prior facilitation experience necessary! We will prioritize Alaskan applicants and we encourage folks in rural communities to apply. (must have wifi/phone access to participate in study sessions!)
