The colonial mindset has caused not only destruction to the indigenous lives that once lived on the land but also the connection between the land and the people on it. We begin the photo essay with the dark cloud of colonialism, rushing past the once indigenous lands of the Lenape tribe. Along with them, they take as they wish and do as they please never giving back to the land or listening to it. They, the colonizers, bring with them the idea of superiority, caused them to overlook the importance of working with the planet and giving back what we take from it. I took the first picture while the sun was setting by the Sugorner Truth Library at SUNY New Paltz.

As the colonizers moved on and wiped out the indigenous people, they also caused an extinction of indigenous culture and ideas amongst themselves. We see the aftermath of this in our own disconnect from nature, living in homes, apartments and other living quarters that have rearranged the very land they sit on to make way for the white colonial mindset and living style. The land is leveled and the house’s foundation poured onto the land indefinitely, as the concrete of the foundation distorts the land’s view indefinitely. The timber used in the framing of the house is brought out from other parts of the country or world, and often times not replaced or replenished. The rest of the materials for the house are sourced similarly, through the world market, from different places across the globe with no care for the land or people it is taken from.

The picture is one of my own watercolors that I did in high school when I studied art. I was reminded of it when I thought about disconnecting from nature. The flower seems to be in constant motion and in a constant struggle for a center it can no longer find. The center has been lost due to an overemphasis of the self and not the “we” that has been brought about by colonialism and perpetuated with their ideas of market-driven economies, individual success, and desire to create a product, no matter the physical, emotional or environmental cost.  

We are in the wilderness that we have slowly torn down, but are met with a path. A choice, to stay on the path imposed on us or choose to change our mindset to that of the wiser elders that lived before us. To continue to destroy the land in which we inhabit, and therefore destroying ourselves or to learn to care about the land which we occupy. Although it is easier to stay on the path that colonialism has imposed we should challenge that thought and push to see the world in a different light.

The bee is one of the hardest workings insects on our planet. Delivering pollen to other flowers and also making honey for themselves.  Yet, they are also the most overlooked; with pesticides causing them the most harm and lack of adequate flowers causing them exhaustion from their journies. Yet these bees are interconnected in each of own lives in ways that we could not imagine. What would happen if we chose to see the interconnectedness of the lives they lived with us? Would we reject the settler idea of taking what is not ours? Would we be more adamant about giving back to the planet in which we live? Or giving back to ourselves when we expend ourselves too much. Or giving back to our communities that have raised us up and taught us what we know.  

This image is one I made in high school as well when I was working on my portfolio. The idea is to illustrate the fluidity of nature and science, which is much like the fluidity between nature and our own selves because we are a part of nature.

The last image, although it is during a sunset, reminded me more of a sunrise and the possibilities that we, as a society, have when embracing a different mindset. If we chose to learn from those who lived on the lands before us and choose to give back to our planet, our communities, and ourselves. We should not, however, claim these indigenous ideas as our own, as this would continue the white capitalistic colonizer mindset. We can, however, acknowledge and credit the indigenous people who appreciated the land before us. By learning to live with more care for the earth we inhabit and the people we inhabit it with we can put an end to the consumerist colonial ideal. This process will take time, but giving back to the planet and taking less from it could be a start. Having a garden and learning the value of growing food, but also leaning that if you care about the world it gives back to you (in the form of food). Learning which plants to mix with each other to not deplete the soil of nutrients but also giving the earth back what it made (in the form of compost) so that it can give back to us. This is just one way of reconnecting with the land that we once used to live with and not on. If we as a society choose to give back we will not only enjoy the benefits but also become more appreciative and understanding of where and who we live with.

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Before diving into my photo essay, it is important to understand how “settler colonialism destroys to replace” (Wolfe, 2006) Unlike extractive colonialism, settler colonialism does not only claim land to extract resources but for establishing permanet residence. As a result, settlers continue to use and abuse ‘Indigenous bodies’ as objects for their consumption. Here, Indigenous bodies refer to more than Indigenous human bodies but also to Indigenous bodies of knowledge, land and water.

Examples:

• Settlers use, abuse and value Indigenous human bodies as laborers. However, once Indigenous people resist settler control, they lose their value and are labeled a problem or a threat. To combat Indigenous resistance, settlers work to eliminate Indigenous people both culturally and biologically.
• Settlers use and abuse Indigenous knowledge to extract Indigenous resources from land and water while ignoring Indigenous knowledge of sustainability.

In “Decolonizing Feminist Freedom: Indigenous Relationalities, Allison Weir emphasizes the importance of decolonial relationality while challenging notions of Western secular knowledge. She states:

“One is connected by descent, country, place and shared experiences where one experiences the self as part of others and others as part of the self; this is learnt through reciprocity, obligation, shared experiences, co-existence, co-operation and social memory” (260).

Meaning, Indigenous ways of knowing recognize that all aspects of the natural world are connected and share a relationship. For Indigenous people, human knowledge is not considered superior to the knowledge of other beings. For example, some consider the knowledge of rocks superior to human knowledge because rocks have been here the longest (264). Thus, Indigenous ontologies (ways of being), epistemologies (ways of knowing) and axiology (ways of doing) encompass a richer and fuller knowledge because they incorporate “diverse knowledges” (266).

The images I chose are meant to depict various “Indigenous bodies” while emphasizing the importance of decolonial relationality of humans and non-human bodies.

Image 1: Kwe becomes the moon, touches herself so she can feel full again by Quill Christie-Peters (http://gutsmagazine.ca/kwe-becomes-the-moon).

I chose this painting because its attention-grabbing and because of the way Christi-Peters has infused the human body with nature. In the article, she discusses the ways in which settler colonialism works to remove the self from the body to clear Indigenous bodies from homelands for settler occupation. Her painting is meant to depict how intimacy between the self and the body can be a form of reclaiming homelands. (Here is a link for Christie-Peters’ podcast Decolonizing Sexuality thru Painting: https://soundcloud.com/feralvisions/quill-violet-christie-peters-on-decolonizing-sexuality-thru-painting-fv-ep-14 )

Image 2: The Land is Ceremony by Erin Konsmo (http://www.albertanativenews.com/activist-christi-belcourt-says-youth-will-lead-the-way-into-the-future/ )

I chose this image because it portrays Indigenous relationality to land as an on-going practice. It depicts that land continues to be ceremony or sacred to Indigenous people.

Imagine 3: Water is Life (Artist: Christi Belcourt, Source: (https://canadianart.ca/features/walking-softly-with-christi-belcourt/ )

I chose this image because it depicts the importance of water as life and as the source of life. Moreover, it depicts water’s role in the cycle of life and the ways in which people are connected to it.

Imagine 4: Bless Sacred Indigenous Bodies (nalgonapositivitypride)

I chose this image because it reiterates that all Indigenous bodies are sacred.

Imagine 5: Honor the Sacred (Pinterest.com)

I chose this image to end my photo essay because I want viewers to reflect on its message and connect it with Weir’s suggestion that Western practices of knowledge should recognize that Indigenous ontologies, epistemologies and axiology may provide a “better knowledge” (266). She states that decolonizing feminist knowledge requires practices of self-transformation and transformation of Western practices of knowledge.

It’s been proven obvious that the effects of European imperialism has yet to release its tyrannical grip from women across the world. From Trinidad to Bangladesh, the cis-white colonial mindset has plagued the lives of individuals where the concept of self, identity, and professionalism is tethered to the dominant culture’s standard of beauty and acceptability. Because hair is often significant within culture and it’s texture often defines how one is treated, I interviewed and recorded several students from various backgrounds on campus and asked about their relationship between their hair, identity, and if they think imperialism has affected beauty in a way that limits how they walk through the world.

Timika Edwards, born in Trinidad, immigrated to the United States in 2007. Trinidad became a colony of Spain in 1498 upon the arrival of Columbus, and several French settlers, as the French were closely allied to Spain at this time, immigrated to Trinidad, along with, over the course of many years, indentured servants from India, and enslaved people from Africa. Through military conquest, Trinidad became a colony of the British, and finally gained independence in 1962. Timika still remembers how she was treated there and was shocked to be met with the same treatment in “the land of the free”.  “The black Trinidadians are treated way worse than the Indians you know. I remember this girl always used to call me a monkey in school.Even though the Indians didn’t get to Trinidad out of their free will either, for some reason, it’s like black people are still the slaves. We are ugly in every way ugly can mean, you know?” I then asked her about how the perception of hair was affected by the colonial history of Trinidad and Tobago. “It’s funny, because white people are so obsessed with the long, silky hair of the Indians. But when it comes to us, it’s dirty and unprofessional. They are the smart one’s and we’re…not. We’re all Trinidadians… but we aren’t the same.”

The second picture is of Maya Merced. This lovely Nuyorican was born the Bronx and she spoke about how so many Puerto Ricans are too quick to get rid of their curls and instead opt for straight hair. “When I was younger, my mom always blew out my hair. My hair was fried, my natural curl was completely ruined, but it didn’t matter because it was always straight. I didn’t realize the damage it was doing to my psyche then, but I can feel it now. I try to love my curls, [but]  there are times where I wish it were straight again. I don’t feel as pretty”. Maya told me how she went to a school that was mostly people of color, so curly hair wasn’t a stranger, but she felt like her curls weren’t loose enough to be considered pretty, especially after it was damaged. When I asked her how she thought colonization played a role, she said, “Everyone wants to be like the white Puerto Ricans with blue and green eyes and blonde hair with loose curls because those traits are from the Spanish. They killed off practically all of the Tainos so those traits aren’t considered as good anymore.”

Brittanie Evo immigrated from Jamaica just 3 years ago in 2016. She told me that even though they didn’t have much money, Jamaicans are a very proud people and they really appreciated the hair that grew from their heads. Though Brittanie admitted that many women were more inclined to buy wigs than men were, both men and women often style their hair in locs. Locs is a style of hair often worn by Jamaicans and people of color but it wasn’t until she came to the United States that she found how discriminatory people were against the hairstyle. “Apparently, locs are unprofessional? How?! I know someone who had to cut off years worth of growth just to get a government job! I don’t understand it. And everyone calls it dread locs in this country. What is so dreadful about them huh?” I asked her why she thought this was. “Oh. It’s definitely the white man’s fault. They’ve been in charge for so long, they get to make the decisions on what’s professional and what’s not. Even though it’s totally ridiculous. We all need to love ourselves and our beautiful hair.”

Cindy Dias was born in Bangladesh and immigrated to the United States in 2014. Bangladesh was colonized by Britain in 1858 and gained independence in 1971. She talks about how funny it is that everyone loves her curly hair in the States, but in Bangladesh, it was a different story. “Nobody thinks of South Asians having curly hair. My sister has straight hair so everyone was always picking on me, calling me the runt. Everyone in Bollywood has straight hair and I didn’t look anything like them. Not with my hair and definitely not my body [type].”  I asked her how she thought imperialism played a role in how her curly hair was viewed in Bangladesh. “Bangladesh was colonized for like, what, 100 years or something? You know that has to have an effect on how we see ourselves. When someone has power and authority over you for that long, one may begin to wonder what’s wrong with you and what’s right with them. That includes what you look like.”

These women are students here, at SUNY New Paltz because I wanted to show how the effects of imperialism are so universal. I asked them each to send me a photo of themselves where they felt beautiful in their natural hair. I then set up an interview with each of them where I asked them three questions: “What is your relationship with your hair like?”, “What was your experience like with others, regarding your hair?” and “How do you think imperialism plays a role in how your hair is perceived by yourself and others?” I recorded their answers using the microphone on my phone and I’d like to thank you for reading the finished product.

Link to Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu5G4buAsbS/

I attempted to illustrate 5 phases in colonization, particularly in the destruction it wreaks, while emphasizing that colonization is still alive and well today, pervading all aspects of life. Every painting has 2 common motifs that tie them all together: a juxtaposition somewhere of red, white, and blue, and cracks forming in the surrounding land and/or structures. The cracks symbolize uncontrollable violence; the red, white, and blue symbolize America’s involvement.

Each illustration contains a line of what started to read like a poem or picture book: “(1) So often, it starts with a man planting a flag. (2) Soon, exclusionary behaviors begin and hierarchy forms. When it has to, it adapts, but it’s always there. Those on the other end of power are vilified, dehumanized, ostracized. Every time. (3) And some, I imagine, are good people. (4) Natural resources are exploited, not respected. Not that the conquerors would be caught dead in the mess they made. Still, the survivors stand. (5) Nature reclaims, but it doesn’t know quite where to draw the line. Too bad we didn’t either.”

These illustrations are so entirely from my own viewpoint as a white settler. I feel like I am witnessing so much horror – much of which is probably not going to effect me directly within my lifetime, but everyone has to try to feel these things. Everyone has to put themselves on the line. It’s so hard to know where to begin.

These paintings are supposed to show that coloniality is not over, but extant; not sporadic, but continually with us, always reinventing itself for tomorrow. It’s not always easy for people to recognize. The violence that manifested historically as genocide on this continent and still does today also masquerades as fear for cis women’s safety in public restrooms they share with trans women, as hatred and indifference toward those who attempt to cross the US border (the third image contains a direct quote from the announcement of Trump’s candidacy which quickly devolved into a rant against Mexican immigrants), in the water crisis, and in the environmental crisis.

Something I think about quite a lot: I’ve never been to Europe, but one thing that always strikes me in photos and film is that Europe seems to have a crazy amount of old-growth forests. More than a few European forests have been designated as World Heritage Sites. Which is great… for Europe’s trees. We don’t have old-growth forests around here. And it’s not because North American trees are less hardy. It’s because North American trees have to completely start over every five minutes. And it’s people of European descent who do the clear-cutting here because this land is not sacred to the descendants of colonizers. It has utterly permeated the culture that this land is disposable, a final phase in the theft of whole continents.

I feel like we are watching the planet die. Albatrosses are an easy way to show that because they are literally full of safety razors and bottle caps. Colonization is like a creature devouring itself; it has one hell of a shelf life, but eventually, even centuries in, it just isn’t sustainable.

I painted these five images with the intention of showing my interpretation of how I understood the history of colonization. The combination of all five paintings is intended to show the progression of a world untouched by the outside world into an entirely different entity.

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The world before colonization, as represented by the first two paintings, was self sustaining and able to exist without the corruption of a colonizers perspective on how life should be experienced. The colors I chose to use here were meant to represent the lush green landscapes of a land free from industrialization, one with an expanse of water to represent the natural resources of the self sustained country. Here the colors are more free flowing and there is no rigid expectation of how the colors were meant to come together, and I didn’t do much to manipulate where the colors flowed (a way to not colonize the paint in a way).

The third image is meant to represent the beginning of outside powers and their influx into indigenous lands, reforming and imposing their country’s values and beliefs on the inhabitants. In this painting I chose to use more variations of colors and techniques to blend and combine the paint together with the goal of expressing the concept of the blurring of where a countries original beliefs begin and where the colonizers imposed way of looking at the world comes into play. With this specific painting I used a combination of finger blending the paints and tapping at the canvas to create imperfections in how the colors came together so that no one color had any more presence than the others. 

The fourth painting is meant to convey that there is almost nowhere in this world that can claim to be untouched and untainted by the western worlds ideas and beliefs about concepts like gender, race, what people do and do not deserve, and so on. This painting is was a bit darker to create and more sad to be completely honest. When choosing the colors to put in this piece, I thought that incorporating the darker shade of brown with the overpowering shade of red would convey the imposition of western ideologies on unsuspecting bodies of people. Even in the small section of green and blue there are still small pockets where there is the presence of another color giving way to the fact that even in countries that are seemingly detached from the western world, we as colonizers still impose our own values upon them even without having direct contact. 

The fifth painting is more of a futuristic interpretation of where I believe the world is heading. There are mixtures if different groups (represented by the different colors),  with some still holding onto their original shades, or their country’s personal distinctive qualities, but none of the lands would be anything like how they were prior to outside influence. This image serves the purpose of expressing that in order to get back to a world free from western thoughts, beliefs, and practices, there needs to be a lot of structural work done.

In Allison Weir’s, Decolonizing Feminism: Transnational Feminism and Globalization, Weir states, “It appears that Western science is just discovering what Indigenous scientists have known for many thousands of years” (265). Indigenous scientists, astronomers, etc, have known what Western philosophers and scientists have known all along, if not before Western civilizations. This continued erasure of Indigenous thought and culture persists, and often, when Indigenous thought or science is made known by the West, it is the West who takes credit for these ideas, who makes it “real” or acceptable, legitimate knowledge.

In creating this photo essay, I sought images of Mexican Indigenous thought, history and representation that has been erased by colonization, and how Mexico’s art has sought to decolonize or at the least, have noted the brutal process of colonization and its effects in Mexican history. Images 1-4 are ones that I took while in Mexico this past summer that I believe speak of Mexican history and recognition of Indigenous erasure.

The first image is the Aztec calendar. The Aztecs formed various astronomical, scientific, and mathematical advancements that propelled them to become a grand civilization.  However, in regards to how Aztec culture is spoken about, their achievements are viewed as secondary and their religion/spirituality is deduced to myth and deemed as strange. As Weir explained, Indigenous knowledge can often be written off as either primitive or romanticized, beautiful but not realistic. In Mexico, Aztec, or Mexica culture is placed in a period of past, not present, placing indigenous peoples in a far away land, when in reality Indigenous populations and practices are alive in Mexico (Image 4). Indigenous history, therefore, is one that needs to revisited and placed in a present context so that we may learn about them and their current struggles.

In understanding indigenous Mexican history, it is important to recognize how and when they have been erased by colonization. El Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City (Image 2) is a good example. The castle, situated upon a hill, was originally a sacred place and strategic site for the Aztecs due to the springs that supplied drinking water to the capital of the empire. During the time of viceroyalty, however, it became a place of rest and for the viceroys. Its use changed throughout the years, from military academy, to imperial residence, presidential home, and now as a museum. While the museum briefly speaks of its past as an indigenous site, it is its murals that speak of the erasure of the indigenous people. In the third image, I show a small detail of Juan O’ Gorman’s “Retablo de la Independencia” which displays Mexico’s history from 1784-1814. Below the image of a man who is tied to a column lies a paper which reads “It seems that the Spanish brought Christ to America to crucify the Indians.” In the mural, images of crucified Indigenous people, of violence and brutality show the reality of colonization in Mexico. In displaying this mural, Mexicans and other Latin Americans may visit and know how this relation connects to their descent-how their way of knowing (epistemology) has been shaped by this colonization and how we may serve to decolonize our spaces and not let entities situate themselves on indigenous land any longer.

The last image is of Yalitza Aparicio, an indigenous (Mixtec and Triqui) woman who starred in Alfonso Cuaron’s film, Roma, the first time in a long time, an indigenous woman was cast in a lead role and to be on the cover of Vogue Mexico. Unfortunately, she was the subject of racist attacks in Mexico due to colizationion’s legacy of racial hierarchy and colorism. Parodied by brown face, and called a “damn Indian” by a male Mexican actor, Yalitza’s fame placed Mexico’s racism front and center. In the media, she is portrayed like a Cinderella story: a famous white passing Mexican director “discovers” an indigenous Oaxacan woman, and is now enjoying the riches and fame of Hollywood. It is as if she was saved by Cuaron, when in fact she is a college educated woman working towards being teacher. She did him the favor of being in the movie, (not the other way around) and of halting her life to star in a movie about a domestic worker’s story in Mexico, in order to give indigenous people the representation they deserve in film, one they have long been neglected.   

Therefore, these images, represent Mexico’s path of ingenious history, its erasure, and the dialogue Mexicans must have in regards to how they continue to treat their indigenous population with a white, colonial gaze.

Link to story: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu3_yymAb3v/

I was enticed to examine El Salvador as my photo essay topic because I am currently tutoring english to a woman from El Salvador. I volunteer along with a Spanish 301 service learning class that visits a church in Kingston weekly to provide free english classes. One of my first students I met and currently work with is named Belkis. She was born and lived her whole life in El Salvador, until six months ago when she and her six month old son traveled to America. Though Belkis and I can converse in spanish and a bit in english I did not want to pester her with questions, photos, or interviews (The one of picture of the english class with Belkis was taken by the pastor of the church).

At first I was a little overwhelmed I considered research Salvadoran feminism but a video helped me decide. Watching a video on the geography of El Salvador I came across the names of the indigenous groups of that resided in El Salvador prior to colonization.

The second photo of my essay depicts the geographical location of numerous indigenous groups, the largest being the Pipil and Lenca people. In fact the fierceness of the Pipil people forced Spain to attempt colonization twice in 1525 and 1528. The Pipil people are descendants of the Nahuatl people who were migrants from Central Mexico. Quickly the indigenous groups of El Salvador were no longer allowed to practice their own culture, language, or way of dress. Spain continued Colonization through imperializing cocoa, indigo, and later coffee from El Salvador.

My third picture depicts the current flag of El Salvador which has been in place since 1912. Though El Salvador had declared independence from Spain colonization in 1840 they really only lost most of Spain’s physical presence in the country, as coloniality still remained. El Salvador would continue in its future to struggle for political and bureaucratic stability. My fourth and fifth pictures are ones of embracing indigenous culture. The fourth photo was taken at an International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples celebration in El Salvador. The picture does not have a caption but includes corn, candles, spices, and other cultural symbols. Much of the indigenous culture was restricted during Spanish rule, and even after El Salvador gained freedom from Spain in 1821 there were no acts taken to counter the loss of indigenous culture. My final photo is one of an indigenous women in her own cultural dress participating in World Indigenous Peoples Day in the San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador in 2016. In my last two photos I wanted to use pictures of Salvadorans celebrating their indigenous culture. Finding information on El Salvador was not difficult, it was harder to choose what to represent as there is large rich history of indigenous people and colonization. There has been a long overlooking of indigenous rights and struggle for centuries. Only very recently, in 2014, did the Salvadoran government put forward legislation to protect indigenous groups in El Salvador. There has been progress for indigenous rights, but still there is more work to be done.

Instagram post link

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu14sJsgrd1/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1fj1hspycqx9h

Work Referenced

“El Salvador.” Wikipedia, 7 Mar. 2019. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title =El_Salvador&oldid=886688464.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador

GeorginaNicoli. International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: El Salvador – The invisible indigenous. 10 Aug. 2016 http://www.progressio.org.uk/blog/ics-blog/i

nternational-day-worlds-indigenous-peoples-el-salvador-invisible-indigenous.

Geography Now. Geography Now! El Salvador! YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5uzY77zwA. Accessed 10 Mar. 2019.

“Pipils.” Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/minorities/pipils/. Accessed 10 Mar. 2019

Timeline: El Salvador. 16 Aug. 2012. News.bbc.co.uk, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/h i/americas/1220818.stm.

The main focus of this blog is not to describe the varying gender identities and expressions around the world, as I am no expert in this field, I do not have a background in any of these cultures, nor have I ever met someone who is of one of these identities. Instead, I am going to discuss my relation to these other ways of being as an agender, white American citizen fighting for the rights of transgender, gender non conforming, and non binary people under the Trump-Pence administration. I would just like to preface that I will be using the umbrella term “trans” in quotations, as it is an English term that is not necessarily used by these other communities. In addition, I want to highlight the importance of not romanticizing or appropriating terms or identities as I admire the validity they give to my own personal experience.

As shown in my post on our Instagram (@fpod_spring_2019), gender identities and expressions beyond the binary have existed in various cultures and traditions over the span of time. One example of this is the two spirit people of North America. Two spirit is a pan-Indigenous term that refers to people with both a feminine and masculine spirit who fulfill sacred, spiritual, and ceremonial roles. According to Dancing to Eagle Spirit Society, two spirit people were often visionaries, healers, medicine people, nannies of orphans, and caregivers. Prior to colonization, they were greatly honored and revered, but now they are met with intersecting oppressions, violence, and sometimes even death.

Fred Martinez was a nádleehí, a male-bodied person with a feminine essence, of the Diné tribe. While their two spirit identity is seen as a gift in Diné culture, it was not accepted by the surrounding neighborhood in Cortez, Colorado. At only 16 years old, Martinez was brutally killed after their skull was crushed in with a rock. Despite clear evidence of the crime stemming from their gender expression and sexuality, it was not legally considered a hate crime. It is incredibly disheartening to think that if Fred Martinez had been born prior to the colonization of America, they would not have met the same fate.

White, Anglo imperialistic forces caused the erasure of a queer ontology that would later reemerge and be branded as a Western construct to many. After meeting with two spirit people in the TV series Gaycation, Ellen Page states, “To me [being] two spirit is such a clear example of how being gay or being trans is just a natural part of human existence. It’s, to me, a clear example and negates all the people that say things like, ‘This is a Western construct, [it’s] a modern privilege to even be thinking about… your sexual [or gender] identity’… It’s like the only Western construct is actually homophobia. That’s what we brought.”

While the remaining circumstances of colonization are horrific, I do not want to end this blog post on such a negative tone. Through learning indigenous relations to gender and sexuality, I have grown in confidence in my identity. I hope that other transgender, gender non conforming, and non binary people can also find comfort in these gender variant experiences around the world.

The lack of knowledge that I (and I believe many others) have on Indigenous Pacific Islanders goes to show how their identities and overall cultural, historical, political and social histories have been erased from mainstream academia. In grouping Indigenous Pacific Islanders and their various identities into Asian/Asian American feminism, entire cultures and regions are disregarded and presumes that Pacific Islanders have some inherent connection to Asia when they do not. It is stated very early on that Pacific Islanders are not Asian/Pacific Islander. To group the two together and to assume they have the same suffer from the same issues is incorrect and stems from colonization of the Islands (the presumption that they are the same and thus can lumped into the same criteria/are of study). Furthermore, the reading makes a valid argument in pointing that Asian Americans are often complicit in this practice, as many tend to believe they have some connection to the Pacific Islands when they do not and use Indigenous Pacific Islander language/custom as some sort of safe haven and commodity. This connection reminded me of Latin America, in the sense that many Latinx people have internalized colonial mindsets (colorism, erasure of indigeneity, gender and sex dichotomy) and thus further the degradation of their respective nation’s cultures and peoples. It is important then, to recognize the differences between Indigenous Pacific Islanders and Asian/Asian American areas and acknowledge the non-settler/colonial history of the Pacific Islands.

Another interesting part of the reading to me was about how outsiders view Pacific women and reminded me of the “coloniality of gender” by Lugones and reminded me of the exoticized and sexualized women in art history, especially in Paul Gaugin’s art which displays hypersexualized nudes and whose art while in Tahiti portrayed it as a space fantasy and freedom with sexual access. I think an important point is when it is stated that this representation through European and American colonialism is different than the ways Asian women are figured as representative of sexual excess rooted in Orientalism, again, emphasizing that Asian and Pacific Islander colonialism and feminism are two separate entities and should be studied as such.