A stills from Because of Who I am
tion style. It is made with over 1,800 hi-contrast black and white photographs. All of the sound for the film was recorded on the iPhone. The film is an artistic exploration in challenging definitions of sexuality, cultural, and panAmerican gender roles within Native American communities. It is a video piece that also works as an exploration of film genre in creating a nonlinear , still photography animated documentary within the genre of experimental film esthetics. In summary the film is a story illustrated by still photographs of Native American dance regalia and art that animate a young woman’s challenge to become a men’s traditional powwow dancer, opposing notions of what a woman is supposed to be.
perform, the story of a young tribal member who proudly identifies as a woman, but whom prefers to dress and dance in men’s clothing acts as a powerful contradiction. Her story offers a complex analysis of the intricate gender appropriations, and productions around discourses of Native and nonNative gender roles, queer identities and issues of indigeneity and national belonging.
Marcella Ernest
Because Native people have particular gender roles within culture that each is anticipated to
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