Indigenous Resilience

My name is Keixé Yaxtí. I am an Alaskan Łingit and Canadian Kanien'kehá:ka woman.
I worked with the compassionate and considerate Amy Bell of Mmimsy to take a series of portraits to raise awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). MMIW is a social issue on both sides of the North American border. There are systemic causes of the violence that causes the disproportionate amount of missing & murdered Indigenous women and girls, of which a majority of cases have never been solved.
The two eagle feathers in my hair are a symbol of Peace among the Łingit - they represent coming to peace with our own traumas. The black face paint represents the collective mourning of the families left behind. The Pounamou is a protection stone gifted to me from the Māori in Aotearoa and represents the our global collective prayer for protection for our women. In this portrait, the paint is carried down the neck, representing the over-sexualization of Indigenous women and Women of Color- an over-sexualization that has contributed to the violence that perpetuates MMIW.
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