Pamela J. Peters (born 1970 – Shiprock, New Mexico)[1] is an Indigenous multimedia documentarian from the Navajo Nation. She produces films and photography exhibitions with the intent to deconstruct stereotypes of Native Americans in the mainstream media. Recent projects include “Legacy of Exiled NDNZ,” inspired by the 1961 Kent Mackenzie film The Exiles, which examines the inter-generational impact of the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 in historical and contemporary Los Angeles, and “Real NDNZ Re-Take Hollywood,” which recreates iconic movie star portraits from the days of classical Hollywood cinema featuring contemporary Native American actors.[2][3][4][5]
Peters was born to the Tachiiʼnii clan (Red Running into the Water, her mother's clan), and born for the Tiʼaashcíʼí clan (Red Bottom People, her father's clan).[6][1] She moved to Los Angeles from the reservation when she was 17.[7] She eventually matriculated at UCLA where she graduated with a BA degree in American Indian Studies and Film and Television Studies in 2011.[8][9] She has spoken and exhibited work at numerous academic and cultural institutions, and her photographs have been published profusely.[10] Her poem, "My Once Life," won the 2016 Button Poetry Video Contest. Some of Peters's work was featured in the February/March issue of "Cowboys and Indians" along with an interview of Tommy Orange.[11]
References
- ^ a b "The 400 Years Project". www.400yearsproject.org. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ GILIO-WHITAKER, DINA (9 November 2018). "How Native Americans in the arts are preserving tradition in a changing world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ Linn, Sarah (19 October 2016). "These Native American Artists Want You to Know They Are 'Still Here'". KCET. Public Media Group of Southern California. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "Speaker | Milken Institute". milkeninstitute.org. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ Miracle, Veronica (2021-11-26). "Filmmaker Pamela J. Peters explores LA's Native American community through the lens of migration". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ Pamela, Peters (5 July 2016). "IT WASN'T UNTIL I LEFT THE RESERVATION THAT I UNDERSTOOD MY PURPOSE AS A NAVAJO STORYTELLER". Zocalo Public Square. ASU Knowledge Enterprise. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Linn, Sarah (24 November 2016). "She Photographs Native American Actors as Icons of Hollywood's Golden Age". KCET. Public Media Group of Southern California. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Native Bruins: Past, Present & Emerging". UCLA American Indian Studies Center. Regents of the University of California. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "UCLA American Indian Studies Center: Staff Directory". www.aisc.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ Peters, Pamela. "REAL NDNZ RETAKE HOLLYWOOD". THESE DAYS. Stephen and Jodi Zeigler. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Thomson, Chuck (20 February 2019). "Los Angeles' sizable Native American community is often overlooked. Pamela J. Peters aims to change that". Cowboys and Indians. Gregory L. Brown. Retrieved 22 October 2019.