Encounters is the sixth print in my artist's book. I really struggled with the image for this print and it only came together at the end of the project. I felt a discomfort trying to figure out how to portray encounters between the settler population and indigenous people, which paralyzed me for months every time I tried to tackle this piece. From the text excerpts I also get a sense of discomfort, where the indigenous narrator feels excluded, misunderstood and judged by the settlers, the settler voice expresses fear and trepidation towards the Other. I think to this day there is much discomfort and unease in encounters due to overt racism, unequal power dynamics, prejudice, and inequalities on every social and economic level. I observe a deep insecurity and a lack of self-confidence from many indigenous people in the presence of white people (after generations have been treated as inferior), and a deep-seated systemic racism and sense of superiority coming from the settler communities. This is coupled with a simmering fear of unrest ahead in the future, because I believe deep down the settlers are aware of the injustices they inflict, but somehow everyone appears trapped in their positions, their prejudices, their thinking, and the firm belief that they are fulfilling a God-given task to evangelize the indigenous people which justifies the settlers' presence and absolves them of any possible wrong-doing.
The print is divided in half by the repeated grid-pattern to evoke the separation between the settler and indigenous communities. The figures representing the settler men and women are large and strongly drawn and etched. The size and strength of the figures alludes to their position of power. They fill half the page and spread out freely within the space, while the more delicately etched indigenous figures are confined to a much smaller and clearly outlined square. The translucence of the grouping, of figures suggests a non-solid, precarious presence and marginal existence, a fading past or a non-materializing future. Herein lies an irony: the settlers fear the indigenous people, while they themselves are the ones taking over the other's land and a way of life. The missionary is the go-between figure. While most settlers don't interact much with indigenous people (at least not beyond an employer/employee relationship or on a personal level such as friendship), the missionary has direct contact to communities. However, he generally represents the interests of the settler community that backs him. The church and the huts represent the sedentarization process, another step in confining communities.
Before I could make this print, I had to go back to the print studio to etch more plates. I realized that women play a central role in encounters as well, and up until this point all the figures I had used in my prints were male figures - figures in positions of power and the decision makers: the missionary/explorer, the farmer/employer, and the politician. Women encounter indigenous people on a daily basis as they stop by asking for work, food or water. Many women employ indigenous people as day labourers around the house and the yards for minimum wage (or less).
From my own experience, I always felt a deep chasm between communities, a clear 'us' and 'them'. To this day there is an (Apartheid-like?) separation between white settlers and indigenous communities: we don't share schools, churches or hospitals; we live in separate towns and settlements or reserves. The gap between rich and poor is staggering. Indigenous people are generally labourers working for Mennonite employers and have little or no political representation. Most decisions regarding life in the Chaco are made by the settler communities and any decisions regarding indigenous people are made in a top-down paternalistic way. I am ashamed to admit it, but growing up I never knew an indigenous person my age by name, because generally our paths never crossed. Well, that's not entirely true: I once played ball with Refina, the daughter of a farmhand at my aunt and uncle's farm, but I was admonished to keep my distance so I wouldn't get lice. Again, while we played together, there was not just the physical distance separating us, but also the prejudice of the Other and poverty that kept us apart. Fortunately, as an adult I had the opportunity to meet and work with a collective of indigenous artists in the Chaco (who are also part of this project from the British Museum), and for the first time I had the feeling I that we met on a level of friendship, respect for each other's work and interest in ideas.
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