Erin Lee Antonak

Lives and works in New Orleans, LA, USA

Artist statement

I am Wolf Clan, from the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, a member of the Iroquois Confederacy. Growing up I saw many of my friends and family members turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with trauma. My own life has been devastatingly hard at times, often chaotic and sometimes dangerous. It was in these times that I realized I did not have the coping mechanisms to handle life in a healthy way. I struggled. In my search for strength, I looked to the ceremonies, stories, and beliefs of my own traditional culture. These things have been passed down for many generations to teach people how to live, how to cope and how to celebrate. As a young girl I was taught to make traditional Iroquois crafts, regalia and ceremonial objects by my mother and grandfather. My mother taught me the repetitive task of braiding corn husks into long ropes as the women in my family have done for thousands of years. It is believed when an Iroquois woman braids corn husk some of her power is transferred to the braid. This simple repetitive act also relaxes our anxious brains and allows space for meditation, prayer, self-reflection and self-healing. These braids are sewn into coils and fringes which are formed into gadjeesa, husk face masks. These gadjeesa are used to cure the sick during ceremonies, the woman’s power allowing the mask to come alive and heal. I look at my hands when I am braiding and think about how they are the result of women’s hands braiding in the same way over many, many...

Artwork