Artist Statement

Blood history is what connects us to those who came before us and to those we’ve never met. Our relatives and elders share with us our culture, our language, and our unique family dynamics. This history has fascinated me since sentience. One aspect of my lineage became more prominent as I entered adulthood and it is that of the Indian boarding school era and its effects on cultural loss and preservation on the matrilineal side of my family.

This story is predominately told through uniforms worn by the two matriarchs, Phillippena McClammy and Mary Wolf. While the outside symbolized the western world’s forced assimilation and homogenization of indigenous cultures, conversely traditional adornment and cultural heritage lie within the lining, close to the skin.

Matriarchs symbolizes the resiliency and the toil that not only my great-grandmothers fought through, but what other indigenous families fought for. Our blood history may contain loss and trauma; however, it is also interlaced with the strength of our ancestors. What they withstood and resisted, so that we may proudly stand here today, is vital for us to remember.