Lelani G.

My name is Lelani, and I go by Lani, the medium I used for my piece is acrylic. I enjoy hiking and camping, I especially love the Grand Canyon. Which is where I harnessed my idea of a self portrait. I’ve been drawing ever since I remember, off and on. As I got older I decided to get more rooted into my culture and began learning more about the language and traditions, which was the motivator for my recent work.

Being a woman and being around other women like me is what feels sacred to me. As our natural cycles align with the moon, this shows the sacredness of being a woman, how we are portals of the spiritual world to the physical. However, we are still targets, targets of the opposition. They murder and kidnap our women, they spread alcoholism on our reservations, but it doesn’t stop us. We still fight and hold our sacred souls and walk with our ancestors.