ARTIST TALK: WUNETU WEQUAI TARRANT, ANDRINA WEKONTASH SMITH, AND AYIM KUTOOWONK

Wunetu Wequai Tarrant is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, located on the East End of Long Island, NY. She grew up with her family on the Shinnecock reservation peninsula. Wunetu has been inspired by her grandmother and matriarch of the ThunderBird clan, Elizabeth ‘Chee Chee’ ThunderBird Haile, to promote cultural preservation and education. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Alfred University in 2011, a Masters of Native American Linguistics and Languages from the University of Arizona 2020 and is currently a Linguistics Ph.D. candidate at the University of Arizona focusing on the reconstruction and revitalization of the Shinnecock dialect of Southern New England Algonquian.

Wunetu has worked closely with the Algonquian Language Revitalization Project on designing curriculum and activities for teaching Shinnecock and related dialects and continues to research best practices in language research and production of materials that will be accessible to community members and teachers regardless of linguistic education experience. She has continued to advocate for Indigenous students as the Julia & Bernard Bloch fellow (2019-2022) and special interest groups through the Linguistic Society of America.

Wunetu is a 2022 – 2024 Guild Hall Community Artist-in-Residence (CAiR). With support from the competitive Creatives Rebuild New York grant, Wunetu and filmmaker, Christian Scheider will spend the next two years developing the First Literature Project (FLP) work. The FLP aims to support the preservation of Indigenous stories, culture, and language by utilizing immersive 3D, VR, and holographic technology to create two immersive orations to be exhibited at Guild Hall in Spring 2024. Additionally, another component of this project will include a compilation of all materials utilized to help with Shinnecock language research to create a centralized database that will help with future research, as well as a video archive for the Padoquohan Medicine Lodge to document the interviews with Shinnecock Tribal members.

firstliterature.org

Photo: Phil Lehans

Andrina Wekontash Smith is a Shinnecock storyteller, writer, performer, and educator whose work explores the complexity of racial and indigenous identity. Currently, she is working on a series with ABC Signature, produced under Kerry Washington's Simpson Street banner. She recently wrote the script for an immersive VR collaboration between TIME Studios and the Martin Luther King Foundation, which examines the racial disparities in policing, housing, and voting in society today. The VR experience will be showcased at SXSW 2023. 

In 2021, Andrina was a NAMA fellow and recipient of the Netflix accelerator grant. Her collaboration with the Facebook app, "The Darker Red Road," received over three million views. Her piece, "Women of Herstory," was highly praised. As a sketch performer, director, and performance artist, Andrina has received residencies at Guild Hall and The Watermill Center.

Her written work and essays have been featured in publications such as Edible's East End, Native Max Magazine, and WildSam's East End Edition. Overall, Andrina's work seeks to bring attention to the nuances of identity and elevate the voices of underrepresented communities.

Photo: Lindsay Morris

Ayim Kutoowonk (She Speaks) is a collective of three Indigenous Shinnecock Women, Cholena Boyd-Smith, Kaysha Haile, and Ahanu Valdez, working towards the reclamation and revitalization of the Shinnecock Language. Facilitated by Shinnecock Linguist, Wunetu Wequai Tarrant, and guest lecturers, Christina Tarrant, Conor McDonough Quinn, and Kaylene Big Knife, Ayim Kutoowonk works to bridge the divide between academic linguistics training and contemporary Indigenous culture, easing anxieties and building a language-learner focused pedagogy through multi-media projects and learning tools.

The collective was founded in Spring 2023 as part of Guild Hall’s Community Artist-in-Resident program, sponsored by the Library of Congress’s Connecting Communities Digital Initiative, part of the Library’s Mellon-funded program Of the People: Widening the Path.

Cholena Boyd-Smith is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation of Long Island, NY where she was raised to love her culture and the outdoors. Cholena has been an early childhood educator since 2016. Cholena enjoys crafting, walking, and exploring new places with her husband and daughter. Cholena also travels with her family to educate others about Shinnecock history and culture through song, dance, and storytelling.

Kaysha Haile is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, an artist, and self-taught baker. Kaysha graduated from Binghamton University with a B.S. in Environmental Studies. She is currently the Operations Coordinator at East End Food. Prior to East End Food, she worked with the certification agency, NOFA-NY Certified Organic.

Ahanu Valdez is a mixed media artist specializing in poetry, pottery, and watercolor painting. A proud member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, NY, Valdez has lived her entire life on the Shinnecock territory. Her art is a beautiful blend of traditional and modern indigenous styles that bridge the gap between past and present. Valdez's work is a testament to the rich cultural heritage of her people, and her passion for her craft is evident in every piece she creates.

Photo: Rebekah Wise.