The Land We Occupy (Mako Sica or “bad lands”)
Author
Oleander
Education and Career Level
Graduate Student
Photo Year
2023
Author's Note
No matter what, this land and the water that runs through is the blood that runs through my veins. It is the DNA that drives me not to fail. The same DNA that my people had pushed them to make it to where we are today. That is the instinctual drive that I must remember to always pull from, especially when I am not physically on this connection, but knowing that I still have it helps me persevere. The land is my identity, and everything about it encompasses who I am as an Indigenous person, and that’s something very beautiful.