Works

The Potawatomi people originally settled in the Great Lakes Region. Now, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation is headquartered in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and is the largest federally recognized Potawatomi group; yet many Potawatomi live all across America. Like many indigenous tribes, the Potawatomi have rituals and traditions that ground their communities around the environment and earth, acknowledging the reciprocal nature between the two. I became interested in the Potawatomi philosophy regarding the interconnectedness of women and water. Robin Wall Kimmer puts it well by quoting her sister, “Women have a natural bond with water because we are both life bearers” (Braiding Sweetgrass). I began to see my trips to the beach and creeks differently, witnessing the feminine engagement with water, a place of play, unadulterated joy, intentional reflection, and unity. This preliminary collection of photographs alongside water reflects on the relationship between the feminine ability to bear life and our existence within it. The water in these images remains a sound exemplar on how to be tenacious, powerful, tender, and pensive all at the same time.