Christina Kaltsukis

Christina “Mool-Mool” Kaltsukis, is a Yakama artist raised on the Yakama and Umatilla reservations. She has created for as long as she can remember, returning to art with a clear sense of identity and responsibility. Christina works with the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative, connecting with Tribal Nations across California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska—relationships that continue to shape her perspective. Her work is guided by language, memory, and the teachings carried by the people and Asúm. Through simple, intentional forms, she hopes to offer a sense of belonging.

In this watercolor, Tsagaglalal (She Who Watches) rises from the water as memory taking form. My Tila told me that when he walks on, he will still see through my eyes as Atwai—so I painted water as the place where ancestors return to guide us. The canoe shares our breath, the wave carries our future and Asúm reminds us of our responsibility to all who cross these waters. Water holds our names, knows our footsteps and keeps our legends. This piece honors a sacred truth: our people, stories and spirits continue forward, reflected in the waters that first shaped us.