Little Ancestors & Land Back
- Title
- Little Ancestors & Land Back
- Creator
- Povi Marie (Leah Lewis) Povi Marie is a Pueblo/Diné woman who was raised in Tiwa territory, better recognized as Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her art aims to garner community support and recognition for Native American and Indigenous communities. Alongside her murals in the Chroma Zone, she worked alongside her partners, SABA and Votan to create a three-story mural in downtown Duluth. She is also beginning to work on a documentary, exploring a new form of art. Povi Marie has an unwavering commitment to her community and a dedication to preserving Indigenous heritage through art and education. Povi Marie wants her work to inspire the next generation to embrace their heritage and uniqueness with pride, creating a more inclusive and uplifting world for all.
- Date
- Date of Creation: October 2022
Date of Documentation: October 2024 - Description
- “Little Ancestors” depicts two Indigenous female characters, one is wearing a hat, along with mushrooms, the sun, and a mountain, all smiling. They are in a nature scene with a river, trees, and the blue sky. It uses natural colors including blues, reds, and greens. They are bright in color, but remain something you would find in nature. The two human characters are placed in the foreground to emphasize their presence. The characters depict two native women. The texture is very smooth with only a little texture found on the trees. Otherwise, it would be smooth to the touch. The mural is drawn in a style known as kawaii. Kawaii is a Japanese artistic and cultural style that emphasizes the quality of cuteness using bright colors and characters with a childlike appearance. “Land Back” depicts fruit (strawberries, grapes, blueberries) and animals (a hummingbird and a frog) as its characters. They are all smiling. This mural uses bright pastel colors that are not natural including pink, blue, green, and purple. The title “Land Back” is drawn in bubble letters and centered on the wall which works to draw your attention immediately to the wording. The mural includes different colors of hearts, clouds, and sparkles in the background. This mural has little texture. Everything is very smooth besides the seeds drawn on the strawberries.
- Subject
- Both of these murals work in connection to draw attention to ancestral representation in the Indigenous community, which artist Povi Marie belongs to. It also depicts the deep spiritual and cultural connections to Indigenous land as they see it as sacred and integral to their identities. These murals celebrate Indigenous identity and work to portray the idea that their culture is not lost or forgotten but is still here and continuously evolving. “Land Back” directly communicates and supports the land back movement that calls for the restoration of land to Indigenous communities. Both murals use natural elements (fruit, animals, trees, rivers) to symbolize the importance of nature which is central to Indigenous viewpoints. These murals work to draw awareness to Indigenous communities but also serve as a message of cultural empowerment for Indigenous groups. These murals can be viewed as a beacon of hope, strength, and collective action toward the restoration of Indigenous land and natural balance. The murals were also created to acknowledge missing and murdered Indigenous relatives in communities.
- Rights
- Artist: Povi Marie
Researcher: Kylie Anderson - Source
- “Artist Bio: Leah ‘Povi’ Lewis.” NSRGNTS, https://nsrgnts.myshopify.com/pages/nsrgnts-artist-povi-marie. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
Final Chroma Zone Mural Unveiled for 2022 – Park Bugle. https://www.parkbugle.org/final-chroma-zone-mural-unveiled-for-2022/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
“POEH AH KA WOHATSEY: THE EMERGENCE TEACHINGS OF RESILIENCE.” Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 29 May 2024, https://indianpueblo.org/current_exhibitions/nsrgnts/.
“Povi Marie — Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival.” Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival, https://www.chromazone.net/povi-marie. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
Files
Collection
Citation
Povi Marie (Leah Lewis) Povi Marie is a Pueblo/Diné woman who was raised in Tiwa territory, better recognized as Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her art aims to garner community support and recognition for Native American and Indigenous communities. Alongside her murals in the Chroma Zone, she worked alongside her partners, SABA and Votan to create a three-story mural in downtown Duluth. She is also beginning to work on a documentary, exploring a new form of art. Povi Marie has an unwavering commitment to her community and a dedication to preserving Indigenous heritage through art and education. Povi Marie wants her work to inspire the next generation to embrace their heritage and uniqueness with pride, creating a more inclusive and uplifting world for all., “Little Ancestors & Land Back,” Museum in the streets: Murals in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, accessed March 10, 2026, https://mspmurals.omeka.net/items/show/19.