Series Update: Nivagi's Reliquary
My current ongoing project, a multimedia exhibit called Nivagi's Reliquary is still in production. It consists of a collection of written works that collectively form the story of society discovering artifacts that challenge their perception of the past, all while facing a monumental sea change themselves brought on by cosmological discoveries. This story contains allegories to the real-life culture and history of the Nichił nation and its people, and many of its elements are reinterpretations of true historical events. Alongside written and graphic design works, the series also features sculptural objects which echo the artifacts discovered, and act as a set of clues in a greater mystery that only viewers and readers will be able to immerse themselves in. Because this project is extremely ambitious, there is currently no fixed timeline towards its completion. However, I am eager to share the written works as they are finished. In 2024 I finished the final draft of The Parable of Nivagi, the centerpiece of the written works. The story is a novella which acts as a religious text for the people in the broader story who are beginning to reconstruct their version of history and vision for the future in the face of transformational upheaval. It is the epitome of the concepts of a story within a story. I am looking forward to sharing The Parable of Nivagi as a standalone work, and other short and fragmented written works, in the meantime as I continue working on Nivagi's Reliquary and other projects going forward.
Heritage Nichił Founded
At the beginning of 2025 I launched Heritage Nichił, which is the new branding of my interpretive guide agency, cultural heritage advocacy, and cultural institution. Heritage Nichił is an independent body which connects both residents and visitors alike of the Southern Kenai Peninsula to meaningful cultural enrichment, education, and experiences through independent projects and materials, and by partnering with existing organizations and institutions that make up the regional network of educational enrichment. The primary reason I established this agency with its own identity is so I can actively demonstrate the need to separate the facets of my individual work, emphasizing that work I have completed as an individual working artist is not fully representational for a relatively less visible minority culture. It is also a way that I can incorporate the support from others in my community with a collective identity so that the people are credited for their own stories as a whole. Currently the agency will operate in the same way as I have worked independently in the past, by creating educational materials and partnering with local institutions, but now it will be on behalf of a distinct body that can be built upon by others.
Delzhi in 44 Letters on YouTube
| Last year I began a video lecture series on YouTube called Delzhi in 44 Letters, which is a series that examines my work with the Dena'ina language, specifically our historical Kachemak dialect and the dynamics of challenges of a modern tribal society in maintaining the spirit and meaning of an extinct dialect through symbol, self-determinative processes, and the analysis of living dialects and neighboring languages and cultures. Each video in the series highlights one letter of my written system for our version of Dena'ina, Delzhi, which I originally unveiled as part of my Qena Sint'isis series in 2017, and any of the topics related to its design and inspiration. This is the first time I have worked with a video format on my own, and even though I have a long way to go in learning how to better stage and refine the video medium I am very happy with how I have structured the lectures and the variety of topics I have incorporated so far. As of February, I am just over halfway through the alphabet, and when it is complete I will continue to create more relating to other systems I work with, including mathematics, cartography, and chronology. These videos are best viewed in portrait mode. | |