Los Angeles is home of the largest American Indian population in the country. In recognition of the city’s immense tribal diversity, artist and filmmaker Pamela J. Peters (Navajo) brings together four renowned Native American women for an evening of poetry and spoken word. Pulling from the land, language, and traditional life of the contemporary Native American, each poet illuminates what it means to be a Native woman writer today. Alongside Peters, participating poets are Tazbah Rose Chavez (Nüümü, Diné and Apache), Emily Clarke (Cahuilla), Kinsale Hueston (Navajo), and Allison Ramirez (Tohono O’odham).
“LEGACY OF EXILED NDNZ” AND THE FILM THAT INSPIRED MY WORK “The Exiles”
The Exiles (1961) In 2008, I first saw Kent Mackenzie’s film The Exiles (1961). It is a neorealist film that showcases a true depiction of American Indians living in Los Angeles at a time when nothing was documented and when Hollywood cinema was generating stereotypes of Natives in Western films. I loved The Exiles because it gave a realistic portrayal … Continue reading “LEGACY OF EXILED NDNZ” AND THE FILM THAT INSPIRED MY WORK “The Exiles”
Indigenous Peoples Day – Los Angeles
This is my new photography project #RepresentYourTribalNation to commemorate #IndigenousPeoplesDay in Los Angeles. I want a larger audience to see us as contemporary natives in the city, but also see our tribal flags and the diversity that exists within a city like Los Angeles.
Disney’s Pocahontas vs. Matoaka
As we gear into fall, and the inevitable season of appropriation and fantasy stories I want to share a paper I did while I was at UCLA. I took a course in the history of film animation and I remember telling my professor, Mr. Soloman that I wanted to write about the two different narratives … Continue reading Disney’s Pocahontas vs. Matoaka
Union Station – Los Angeles
My love of this city is shown in the photographs I take. One place in particular that I love is Union Station. I love Union Station for two personal reasons. First, because it’s beautiful and has a deep history to Los Angeles that has been preserved since 1939.
My Once Life – Video Poem WON!
The winner of the 2016 Button Poetry Video Contest - My Once Life by Pamela J. Peters
The Oscars – where are the “American Indians?”
We all can make the collective consciousness to reimagine the way Indians are seen today and I do hope that our "participation" as Americans Indians will be part of the definition of "inclusion" in the Academy of Motion Pictures - soon!
I’m a Navajo living in Los Angeles, yet my culture, my identity is invisible.
When I began sharing that I was Diné (Navajo), most folks didn’t know what that meant, so I had to say American Indian or Native American. Then I would get a slew of different responses like, “Oh, I thought all Indians were dead.” Or, “You mean like Pocahontas?”
My Once Life – Video Poem
My Once Life is a hybrid video poem about the continuing impact of colonization on tribal peoples.
NDNZ In The City
Join us Nov 2, 2016 for an evening of talk, short films, photographs, and personal stories from Indigenous multimedia documentarian, Pamela Peters (Navajo). The evening’s event will showcase Peter’s newest film Legacy of Exiled NDNZ and multimedia presentation Real NDNZ re-take Hollywood. Pamela’s work stands against prevalent stereotypes of American Indians in popular culture by pushing viewers to critically analyze the psychological and historical structures of Native American in mass media.
Pamela J. Peters 
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