Summer Jones  

2021 Creative Native Artist

Luiseño, Payómkawichum 

Age: 23

This is a portrait I drew with charcoal and pastel on tan paper of my little sister Dorothy. She is resilient, strong, and passionate about our culture. She is a young activists and a young warrior. I read once a from a Native teacher, “we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” We are the gatekeepers of land, language, and culture not only for ourselves but for generations to come. When I look at my sister, I am reminded how important it is to know our history for our future.