Some of Us Say (Primary Title)
Melanie Yazzie, Diné, Navajo, born 1966 (Artist)
Melanie Yazzie makes use of a collage effect in Some of Us Say, scattering English phrases (culture blending) with their bilagaána (Diné language) equivalents across the page. These words remind the viewer that European languages are not the earliest ones spoken in North America, nor do they always accurately encapsulate such important Indigenous concepts as “belonging” and “tradition.” The connection to place is further exemplified by the filling of two abstracted figures with the artist’s fingerprints, in essence stamping her presence and making it known.
National Endowment for the Arts Fund for American Art
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