Call for Participation

posted for Cherry Smiley

Truth and Revolution: Aboriginal Women

Weave the Resistance

Dear Sisters,

Do you, or someone you know, have a story

to tell? Do you want an opportunity to tell it?

I'm looking for 582 Native women to lend their

stories and images for an art project about our

struggles, our resistance, and our pride as

Native women.

The media usually presents only one side of

our stories, if that. They tell the public only

about our struggles and the poor conditions of

our lives. While these stories are true and

shouldn't be ignored, I want to acknowledge our

full stories, all sides. I want to tell our

stories of poverty and loss, but also of our

resistance to these things and how we get through

them. I want to tell our stories of abuse and

struggle, but also of our successes, our talents,

and our pride. I want the public to know the harsh

realities of our lives but I also want to celebrate

518 years of our resistance in the face of colonization.

Sisters, I am respectfully asking and inviting

your participation in this project. Please email

truthandrevolution@gmail.com if you are interested in

participating. Check truthandrevolution.wordpress.com

<http://truthandrevolution.wordpress.com/>

for project updates.

With Respect,

Cherry Smiley

About the Project

As of March 2010, the Native Women's Association

of Canada had documented 582 cases of missing and

murdered Aboriginal women across Canada. We all know

the actual number is higher, and we all see stories

about this come and go in the media. My mom and I came

up with the idea for this project together. We see

this project as a response to the media coverage and

co-optation of our missing and murdered sisters by

non-native people. We see it is a statement against

colonization, racism, sexism, and violence against women.

But primarily, we see it as a celebration of our

strength and resistance as Native women.

This project will include 582 photographs and

interviews of Native women across Canada, myself

and my family included. Some of the things we might

talk about in the interviews include: the foster care

system, residential schools, prostitution, physical

violence, sexual violence, colonization, racism, sexism,

discrimination, welfare, reserves, city life, poverty,

health care, disability, addiction, employment, family,

friends, survival, resistance, pride, success, traditions,

stories, talents, goals, etc.

I will audio record each interview and also plan on

videoing parts of the process. This project will hopefully

result in 1) an installation that uses the photos, audio,

and text from the interviews, 2) a (possibly self-published)

book using the photographs and text from the interviews,

and 3) a video project, specifics undecided at this point.

Currently, I have no budget. What I do have is respect,

determination, and a desire to tell our stories. At this

point, I am financing the project myself.

Eventually, I will be asking for participation all

across Canada, every province and territory. For now,

because of lack of funds, I am looking for Aboriginal

women in and around Vancouver, BC. If you are outside this

area and want to participate, please email me anyways,

and let me know you're interested. This will help to

plan for the future.

I hope to complete photographs and interviews by

September 2011.

Aboriginal women who want better lives for themselves

and for our future generations, and who are willing to

share their stories and images, are welcome to email

truthandrevolution@gmail.com with your name, contact info,

and a bit about yourself. Also feel free to email

if you have any questions about the project, or if you

are emailing on behalf of a woman who does not have access

to the internet. Check project updates at

truthandrevolution.wordpress.com

<http://truthandrevolution.wordpress.com/> .

Women who are selected to participate will be

contacted in the upcoming months.

About Me

My name is Cherry Smiley, and I come from the

Nlaka'pamux/Thompson and Dine'/Navajo Nations.

I live as a visitor on Coast Salish Territories

in Vancouver BC. I am a member of the Aboriginal

Women's Action Network and I work occasionally at

a rape crisis centre and transition house. I have

studied at universities in Australia and Scotland,

and I currently go to school for Film, Video,

& Integrated Media. I have a lot to learn and am lucky

to have many teachers around me.