Henry Payer - Frontline Aunty Print

Frontline Aunty represents our female relatives who continuously surprise us with their courage, strength, and determination as born leaders. Most often than not, Indigenous cultures are often portrayed in popular culture with the masculine warrior. While this may have been true for some periods, today, most groups and communities rally behind female leaders, especially the youth. I wanted to create a work that portrays this idea, allowing the youth to see themselves represented for their strength. Most Indigenous cultures were matriarchal but were changed after contact as Non-Natives married into tribes and patriarchal colonization took over. She stands fist raised in traditional and modern clothing, has red paint on her forehead, and has a multi-colored ribbon skirt. Her shirt reads “Merciless Indian Savages,” a direct quote from the Declaration of Independence, and a trendy T-shirt created by Kiowa-Choctaw artist Steven Paul Judd in collaboration with Native-owned street clothing company The NTVS. She wears both traditional moccasins and street shoes to express the act of walking in two worlds. - Henry Payer