About the artwork

To get through tough times, Dakota people believe in the philosophy ​mitakuye owasin ​(we are all related) and that means not just being good relatives to each other as people, but also to the land, waters, and fellow animals, to the future generations. The stay-at-home orders have shown all over the world how the earth is healing through our reduced uses of fossil fuels, how communities are coming together to care for one another as human beings, awakening in ourselves the ability to be better relatives to all life. Even in times of crisis, there’s much hope for a better future as we work together for it.

Meet the artist

Marlena Myles
Marlena Myles is a self-taught Native American (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee) artist located in St Paul, Minnesota. Growing up on her traditional Dakota homelands in the Twin Cities, she brings modernity to the history, languages and oral traditions of her people through digital art, fabric patterns, animations and illustrations.

To learn more about Marlena Myles, visit MarlenaMyl.es.

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