As
a child who attended pow wows and various Indian-themed conferences
thanks to my mother working for the NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN
INDIANS (NCAI), I would often retreat into fantasy and play with my STAR
WARS action figures with some of the other children while the adults
did their thing. Now, at the age of 41, I have attended the first ever
INDIGENOUS COMIC CON at the HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER in Albuquerque, NM
and to call the experience "surreal" was an understatement. It had all
of the elements of a pow-wow, an Indian art show, a conference and
sci-fi convention complete with cosplayers. It was the childhood pow wow
experience complete with droids, DARTH VADER and some storm troopers.
No event with COMIC CON in it's title would be be complete without any
of these elements, but this one was different. This event was all about
Native people creating imagery and stories that define them as people.
One of those people is ARIGON STARR - the creator of SUPER INDIAN - whom
ROCK IS RED has profiled previously. At this event we also got to meet
Mdewakanton Sioux writer Z.M. THOMAS - the owner of TREPIDATION COMICS
and creator of SIOUX FALLS - a steampunk comic inspired by the DAKOTA
UPRISING of 1862. Since iconography is essential in comic art the
subject of mascots and taking charge of the imagery that defines us as
native people made all the sense in the world to be included in this
event and the presence and wisdom of SUZAN HARJO was most welcomed.
Accompanying HARJO were Standing Rock Sioux filmmakers JOHN and KEN
LITTLE to discuss their upcoming film MORE THAN A WORD: MASCOTS AND POP
CULTURE REPRESENTATION.
CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred25.mp3
No comments:
Post a Comment