Jonathan Shayfer
Native American people are the victims of perception. Through the medium of photo-montage and the blatant manipulation of American icons, these images speak to us of betrayal and segregation, community and tradition, spirituality and hope, protest and survival.
Statutes for Liberty
Protest for your rights, your culture, your
language, for your very existence. Fight for your tribal sovereignty.
Eye of the Eagle
Wanbli, the sacred eagle, soars over desert and mountain and forest. It flies closest to the Great Spirit.
We, the People
The Lakota believe there are four races of man, red, yellow, black and white.
Waste
"Waste": (wash-tay) beautiful, good
"Waste": empty, un-used
In the Red
Some of the poorest counties in the US are the Indian reservations of South Dakota
In Defence of Brother Buffalo
The buffalo was all things to Plains tribes - food, clothing, shelter. When the buffalo were gone, the hearts of The People fell to the ground.
Warrior Rising
Tribal warriors defended their land for future generations. 21st Century warriors protect Maka (the Earth) from all who would desecrate her.
WANTED!
The demonisation of those faced with impossible choices
Acculturation
A war of attrition on a people's culture and language and spirituality. All they wanted was to be themselves.
SACRED LAND
The spiritual connection to the land for First Nations people is beyond words.
Ironhouse
The US justice system has always been unjust to its native American population. Fifty states, fifty barbs of wire.