History Speaking (Primary Title)
Melanie Yazzie, Diné, Navajo, born 1966 (Artist)
While early European explorers chronicled in detail the people, plants, and animals they encountered in the New World, their discoveries were rarely considered in holistic terms. In History Speaking, Melanie Yazzie combines layers of English text with scientific or documentary-style drawings of flora and fauna. A series of symbols is included along the right side of the print. Yazzie describes these as “prayers of gratitude and also prayers for future crops.” The entirety of the work is about the importance of corn to Indigenous peoples and pays homage to both the practice of food planting, as well as the delicate balance of the ecosystem.
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