National Museum of the American Indian
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Ancestors Know Who We Are
Ancestors
Who We Are

Digital painting sets silhouettes of female heads with varying hairstyles in concentric rings of purple, green, and gold
Rodslen Brown
Joelle Joyner
Moira Pernambuco
Paige Pettibon
Monica Rickert-Bolter
Storme Webber
Digital painting sets silhouettes of female heads with varying hairstyles in concentric rings of purple, green, and gold
Black-Indigenous women artists address race, gender, multiracial identity, and intergenerational knowledge

Artists

Ancestors Know Who We Are ignites a conversation on the experiences of Black-Indigenous women through art. Joelle Joyner's and Paige Pettibon's paintings honor ancestors who continue to inspire and guide. Moira Pernambuco's photographs are a counter-narrative to negative portrayals of Black boys and men. Monica Rickert-Bolter's digital artwork is a reflection on the relationship between hair and cultural identity. Storme Webber's prints and spoken-word performance pay tribute to her multiracial family and childhood. Basketry by Rodslen Brown (1960–2020), a Freedman descendant and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, embraces her activism and both her heritages.

Ancestors Know Who We Are continues a conversation launched more than a decade ago in the groundbreaking book and traveling exhibition IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas. Through artistic expression and reflection, Ancestors Know Who We Are explores contemporary realities in the interwoven histories of Black and Indigenous peoples.

The National Museum of the American Indian thanks the Frye Museum and the yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective for their research assistance.

This project received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.

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