Our July cover photo captures the essence of a complex term: Native sovereignty. Award-winning photographer Kiliii Yüyan and model Quannah Rose Chasinghorse share what sovereignty—and being part of this cover story—means to them
When photographer Kiliii Yüyan first saw the sun setting over the red rock formations in Tse’Bii’Ndzisgaii, or Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which straddles both Utah and Arizona, he knew it was the perfect backdrop for a powerful portrait of international model Quannah Rose Chasinghorse, featured on the cover of this month’s issue of National Geographic., he was tasked with capturing the essence of a complex term: Native sovereignty.
“Sovereignty is the freedom to be yourself,” says Yüyan. He adds that the story is about Native Americans as the drivers of their own destinies rather than as victims—and it also shines a spotlight on the long history of disenfranchisement of Native communities in North America and the degradation of their lands.
“You’re saying, ‘Here we are, having a great time living our lives and just being able to be free,’” he says. For Chasinghorse, who is Hän Gwich’in and Sicangu-Oglala Lakota, it was an opportunity to break out of the “stereotypical box” that she says colonialism had created for Native people, who often are represented through imagery that depicts them as stoic and stern—minimizing the breadth of their experiences. “When I am able to be more soft, I can show my Indigenous joy,” she says.
When Chasinghorse was asked to join the project, she was ecstatic not just to represent her people but also to work with a magazine she had grown up reading.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Video raises ethical questions about Leavitt's adoption of Native American childThe FOX 13 Investigates team has obtained a video of Utah County Attorney David Leavitt discussing his 'strategy” to adopt a Native American baby.
Read more »
How 'Dark Winds' Allows Native Women to Step Into the SpotlightThe AMC+ series may focus on Zahn McClarnon's detective, but it also shines a multidimensional light on Native women.
Read more »
Native students to get free tuition at UAStarting this fall, the University of Arizona will cover the costs of tuition and mandatory fees for any full-time, undergraduate student who is a member of one of Arizona's 22 federally recognized Native American tribes.
Read more »
Arizona Native Scholars Grant covers full tuition, fees for UArizona undergradsThe Arizona Native Scholars Grant, a first-of-its-kind program in the state, will be available to new and continuing full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates at the main campus in Tucson. Find out more information
Read more »
Warmer winters could wipe out Antarctica’s only native insectThe Antarctic midge has clearly evolved to survive in extreme conditions, yet a warming climate could threaten its existence.
Read more »
The Story Behind Silence=Death, an Icon of the LGBTQ+ Rights MovementArtist Avram Finkelstein discusses the historic image he created with the art collective ACT UP—which has become synonymous with the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Read more »