By Nayana LaFond
Stacey in RED
Acrylic on Canvas
Stacey Sayer-Brabant is from Little Black Bear First Nation within Treaty 4 Territory in Saskatchewan. The pictures were part of a series that she collaborated with photographer Wayne Slinn and Indigenous make-up artist JJ Vester Penny, to help bring awareness to this critical issue of MMIWG. With National Indigenous People's Day quickly approaching, I challenge you all to wear Red, in honor of our stolen sisters. Light a candle, and pray for the families who are hurting, who are lost, and pray for those that have passed on.
Pray that our families may find peace and pray that victims of violence will no longer live in fear and silence we must be #IdleNoMore on these issues that affect the livelihood of our Homefires and our communities. Encourage your fellow woman to rise above their obstacles, societal discrimination, and pain.
"The honor of the people lies in the moccasin tracks of the woman. Walk the good road... Be dutiful, respectful, gentle, and modest my daughter... Be strong with the warm, strong heart of the earth. Be strong with the warm, strong heart of the Earth. No people go down until their women are weak and dishonored, or dead upon the ground. Be strong and sing the strength of the Great Powers within you, all around you." -Sioux Elder
Nayana Lafond resides in Massachusetts with her daughter Adelaide, where she is a full-time artist and mother. She attended college for fine art and photography at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. She later dropped out to pursue her passions for art and curation independently. Nayana worked as Chief Curator for the Whitney Center for the Arts for 8 years and has published several articles on art in culture. Her own work can be found in private collections and institutions around the world.
Aside from her career in the arts, Nayana is an entrepreneur, owning and operating a small, independent record label and a Café. In 2014, Nayana was diagnosed with Leukemia and underwent a bone marrow stem cell transplant. Her diagnosis changed her outlook on life and she then decided to focus more completely on her art and activism, as a survivor of domestic violence.
Nayana is Anishinaabe from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory, Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario as well as Abenaki & Mi’kmaq from Three Rivers Quebec, French and German.