ABOUT US

This will not be perfect. And in the spirit of that admission we would like to acknowledge that the land that The Art House JT is located on is Yuhaaviatam/Maarenga’yam (Serrano) land.

Much of the area surrounding The Art House is and continues to be that of many different indigenous tribes, including the Serrano, Chemehuevi, Mojave Cahuilla and Mojave.

Why are we telling you this? Why don’t we quietly give and not promote it? We feel that Land Acknowledgments bring Indigenous voices into a current narrative that history previously erased. We think that they are a small step towards recognizing and honoring the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the land that they were removed from and that the way we see history changes how we see the present day.

As immigrants to this country we are educating ourselves on its complex history and would like to use this tiny platform of ours to reshape narrative and to ask better questions. That for us is what art is for.

If you would like to discuss any of these issues I welcome conversations and constructive critical dialogue. We invite you to message us with your thoughts to continue this conversation.

The information contained here is taken from several sources. Other resources, books by indigenous authors and Native owned and operated businesses are listed below, to help you do your own research and to better support indigenous peoples.

(There is also a link to the Guardian article ‘Scared to be Woke’ by Nesrine Malik which is well worth a read)

Further reading and resources

Books

For ease of purchase I have linked these to amazon but strongly encourage you to use an independent book seller or Museum shop.

https://www.indiebound.org is a great resource to locate and purchase books from independent bookstores

Go to https://bookriot.com/indigenous-owned-bookstores for a list of indigenous owned bookstores

In Santa Monica we use Diesel Books in Brentwood

In the UK we use Babushka Books on the Isle of Wight

Or try Abebooks.com

The Art House Joshua Tree has a selection of these books and more available for you to read during your stay. Please send us your recommendations to add to our little library

Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

The Tao of Raven by Ernestine Hayes

Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

There There by Tommy Orange

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

We are Still Here by Frane Lessac

Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Poet Warrior: A Memoir by Joy Harjo

Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J Child