Repenser le temps et l’espace, du wampum au selfie

Abstract

This article considers the way certain Indigenous artists are reviving conceptions of territory and history that are anchored in secular epistemologies and the construction of knowledge. Such conceptions provide a way for these artists to respond to colonial appropriation, reactivate interrupted dialogues, engender new forms of territorialization, and create places of commemoration and memory preservation. Similar to the historiographical deconstruction performed by thinkers and activists such as Vine Deloria Jr. and Taiaiake Alfred, these artists’ works offer a model of autonomy and environmental balance. While some are reviving mnemonic practices, such as the making of wampum, which traditionally preserve memories of alliances and conflicts, others have embraced Internet and selfie technologies as a means of creating new spaces for speech and recognition.