‘Fire in the Village’ highlights our profound and often ignored connection to the earth

NINA MOINI: This Friday, which is Native American Heritage Day, artists are gathering to remind Minnesotans of our profound and often ignored connection to the Earth. The Arts Collective, called Fire in the Village, is wrapping up its statewide tour with a decolonized Thanksgiving show at the Hook & Ladder Theater in Minneapolis, to talk about the tours they've taken, and what's next for the group arts creators.

Annie Humphrey is an artist and musician based on the Leech Lake Reservation.

Annie, thank you so much for joining us.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: Thank you for having me.

NINA MOINI: Absolutely. And Shanai Matteson is an artist from Aitkin County.

Thank you for being here as well, Shanai.

SHANAI MATTESON: Yeah, thanks a lot.

NINA MOINI: Well, folks might remember you all because our wonderful arts reporter, Alex V. Cipolle, who's just the best, did a great story about Fire in the Village when you first began this sort of statewide tour. But for people who didn't get a chance to hear that story, Annie, could you tell us about the overall goal of this collective?

ANNIE HUMPHREY: Yeah. The overall goal is to just use art and music and culture to inspire people to be more creative and think for themselves. Because I feel like we have these screens that are so-- in the palm of our hands, that the more you look at that, I think the capacity for creativity is diminishing.

NINA MOINI: Absolutely. Absolutely. So just presence and people really paying attention.

And as I mentioned, you've been touring the last few months, and these aren't your ordinary shows, right, Shanai? Can you explain a little bit about what you do in the communities?

SHANAI MATTESON: Yeah. So it's more than just a music concert. We bring a printmaking pop-up, where we're teaching people how to make block prints using our emblem, aandeg, or the crow.

We also have a fashion show that is clothing that's been created by Annie using upcycled, thrifted items. So we're talking about all of these different ways that we connect to one another and to the places that we lived through the things that we create and through the way that we share that with each other.

NINA MOINI: Sure. It sounds like a really unique experience for everybody.

Annie, as you're kind of wrapping up this few months, what have you taken away from this experience so far?

ANNIE HUMPHREY: Well, so far, we've been visiting students in high schools, and to me that part was the most where you can see the difference in-- it seems like young people are more open, and they express their-- I don't know.

At first, you can see fear, and then when you put an instrument in their hand, you can see, like, they're still not sure.

And then when you see them on stage performing in front of people, they just grow. I mean, and this is a matter of hours.

And "When are you guys coming back?", that kind of thing. So that's-- I just have a special place in my heart for the high school-aged person.

And also, we hit some communities. Taylors Falls was a really great show and event.

And Shanai's right. She forgot to mention, we have homemade cookies, we show a video, and if we don't have a screen, we have people in the crowd hold up a sheet. So we're really like, I don't know, we're just really DIY.

And we did this whole tour up to this point with no money. I mean, we did get funding that caught up, but we did the Turf Club show, we did all of these events with absolutely, no funding.

And just that this is all-- it's all doable. We don't have to wait for money to take action. Especially, I think creative and arts action. As an artist, grant people want you to quantify the work you're doing, and it's really hard to do that, because we can't show this. I don't know. It's just hard to explain, to show.

NINA MOINI: Sure.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: But just going on and doing the work anyway. And if I just see it in front of my face, that's really important to me.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. Sometimes it's hard to describe because it's like a feeling.

Shanai, what was your favorite part, if you could name one of the different experiences you've had?

SHANAI MATTESON: Yeah. Well, we made a point of visiting a lot of smaller venues. We went to a community Center in Taylors Falls, Annie had mentioned that. A little space called Sampaguita, in Aitkin. Sandstone.

And in these communities, there are people who are building these little creative fires and connecting with one another. And we come to town bringing some new energy, recognizing the hard work that they're already putting in to creating these kinds of cultural and community spaces. And it feels our little fires are getting connected up across the region, and that's really exciting.

And Annie really loves working with young people. I do, too. I also really love working in these small communities because you can see how people are just really hungry for a place that they can connect heart to heart.

We talk a lot about issues-- in the broader world, we're talking a lot about the issues and things that people-- that maybe divide people, but what we're doing with these Fire in the Village gatherings is we're really talking about what makes us all human, and where we connect. And that, to me, has felt really nourishing and really encouraging.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. And you both mentioned connecting with people and their vulnerability to be able to do that.

Annie, did you see connections between people there as well, or people meeting new people and feeling supported?

ANNIE HUMPHREY: Oh, yeah, very much. Because we haven't talked about the fashion show yet, but the way we do this fashion thing-- and I have between 14-- we run 12, 14, or 16 different outfits.

NINA MOINI: Wow.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: And we find our models at the print table. Like, bam. We're like, "Hey, would you want a model?"

And at first, people were like, "Oh, I don't-- I've never done it. I don't think so." I'm like, "Come on, just look at the clothes. You can do it."

And all these women and men, who may know each other from the community, but had never really done something so connected.

NINA MOINI: Yeah.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: But it's just the energy in the green room after everybody's dressed and lined up and nervous and the model-- the walk music starts, and they do their walk. And when they come back to the back room, and then we do our big finale, I mean, that is so connecting.

And then the people out in the crowd. Like, maybe their husbands or their coworkers are out there. It's just-- it does it.

And that silly fashion show, I didn't know, it'd be such a big hit. I just thought, let's put my stuff out there, and we'll add something to this event.

And the fashion show is crazy connecting. It's just, amazing to me.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. No, thank you for describing that. There's so many different elements of art and expression.

And Annie, you are Native. Shanai, you are not. Shanai, do you feel like part of this is creating allyship through art and just awareness?

SHANAI MATTESON: Well, I think that, that word, ally, I've kind of been sitting with that. And I don't think that's really a title that we non-Native folks can just give to ourselves.

I think that we are all relatives in some way or another, and we can honor Anishinaabe culture and Dakota culture by being good relatives, and helping to take care of the places that we live, and also getting to know our own stories and our own connections to the Earth. Because Annie sings about this in her songs. We are all made of Earth, and we are power when we recognize that.

And I think that's the message and the spirit that we're bringing is giving-- giving everyone a chance to gather around in a small circle, like around a fire. And in that circle, we recognize ourselves, and we recognize each other. And so that's not to say that there aren't really important differences--

NINA MOINI: Sure.

SHANAI MATTESON: --and that there aren't really important Anishinaabe culture, and that we are in Anishinaabe territory. But at the same time, I think the role of arts and culture is to create a space where we can reflect, and we can find where our connection points are as human beings.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: Yeah.

NINA MOINI: That's really beautiful. Thank you. Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead, Annie. No, go ahead.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: just think that, to add what Shanai said, is that we are really all in this together now. We are all sinking on the same ship, and I feel like it's really important to recognize our similarities, and talk about that--

NINA MOINI: Absolutely.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: --and not our differences.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. And before we go, we got to wrap up in a minute, but Annie, I want to make sure that we talk about, the tour is wrapping up, but what's next for the project?

ANNIE HUMPHREY: Well, for me, I'm going to keep on sewing. And summertime is mural and painting time, so I'm sure we have that going on.

Personally, I am-- I want to start-- I want to keep sewing because this little fashion thing caught on so good and--

NINA MOINI: Great.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: --and I want to start making like, the spring and summer dresses.

NINA MOINI: All right.

ANNIE HUMPHREY: That's for me.

NINA MOINI: Well, I hope you'll both keep us posted on your efforts. And I thank you so much for being on with us today and sharing your work.

BOTH: Yeah, thank you.

NINA MOINI: That was Annie Humphrey and Shanai Matteson, co-creators of Fire in the Village Arts Collective.