Se'mana Thompson
(O'Otham) New Moon in Aries. Mixed media/Collage
[ Image description: The background is the universe (appears as a black background with white stars); the bottom of the collage from left to right are red jasper, yellow topaz and rose quartz; above the rose quartz on the lower right of collage are the words cedai masad (pronounced choo-daw-g maw-shaw-th which means 'leafing of the mesquite moon/month' [the month of March] in the O'Otham language (O'Otham meaning people and pronounced aw-aw-thumb); the center of the collage from left to right, a red rose horizontally extends into/covering the face of an Akimel Otham (meaning river person and pronounced Awk-im-ugh-l [rolled l] aw-thumb) in a long sleeved, ankle length dress, to the left of them is a cactus with the sunset in the background; and finally to the right of them is an Akimel Otham with a yellow rose covering their face, long locs extending to mid-thigh wearing a long sleeved shirt and trousers. ]
Artist Statement
It’s important to tell the stories of my ancestors, of the present and the imagined futures of my children and their children; I do this through art and through my zine queer indigenous girl. I'm deeply influenced by my cultural teachings, my children, my community (especially my URL community) and other artists.
I created (O'Otham) New Moon in Aries depicting the colors red and yellow, with the color red representative of the root chakra (located at the base of the spine) and yellow the solar plexus (located two inches above the navel) chakra. In this collage, the red rose (and individual) channels feminine energy and grounds us as people to the Earth; the yellow rose (and individual) is masculine energy that strengthens our will as individuals and community. This is precisely what red jasper and yellow topaz activate and stimulate within the root and solar plexus chakras. Rose quartz activates the heart chakra (located at the center of the heart) and is ultimately love - love of self, for others, the universe, for everything; it is healing and a love so great as to encompass the divine. I envision (O'Otham) New Moon in Aries as O'Otham in space and as our past, present and future. I see myself here standing/sitting strong in my queerness, disability, sickness, neurodivergence and motherhood.
About the Artist
Se'mana Thompson is of the Red House People (mother's clan) and born for the White People (father's clan). Her maternal grandfather's clan is the Hopi People and her paternal grandfather’s clan is the Flat Foot People (Pima a.k.a. Akimel O'Otham). In this way she is a Navajo woman. Se'mana is enrolled with the Gila River Indian Community which is comprised of the Akimel O'Otham and Pee Posh indigenous peoples and located on the southern boundary of the Phoenix metropolitan area. She is the editor and creator of the zine queer indigenous girl as well as the editor of the zines Decolonizing P@renting and Black Indigenous Boy. Se'mana lives with her children (creators of Black Indigenous Boy zine) and mother in Glendale, AZ.