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| Viki Eagle (Image Source: UCLA American Indian Studies) |
Today’s blog post is dedicated to discussing the exceptional work of Viki Eagle, a doctoral student focusing on sociocultural anthropology and American Indian Studies out of the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). Viki Eagle is of American Indian and part Asian descent, and she draws inspiration from her American Indian identity and culture to guide her current doctoral research. This blog post, however, will address not only this but her past work as it informs where she is today and the goals she seeks to achieve in the future.
Viki Eagle (Figure 1) is Sicangu Lakota and part Japanese who hails from Denver, Colorado. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with minors in Studio Art (Photography) and Japanese Language from the University of Denver. During that time she studied abroad in Japan, but she ultimately returned to the United States and began teaching photography and film at the Red Cloud Indian School.
She returned to graduate school to earn her Master’s degree in Higher Education, wherein she concentrated her studies in Native American Student Recruitment and Retention. She quickly put that knowledge and experience to work as she became employed as the UCLA Native American Recruiter in Undergraduate Admissions. Her experiences in this position at UCLA led her to realize a need for programs to support American Indian students at UCLA. She ultimately moved forward in the creation and implementation of such programming. She then took these experiences with her as she transitioned back to her Alma Mater, the University of Denver, becoming their Director of Native American Community Partnerships and Programs. In this position she built programming that ultimately tripled the American Indian enrollment at the University through strategic recruitment and retention programs, which were instigated with supporting American Indian identities and communities at the forefront.
Ultimately, Eagle returned to school yet again, pursuing her doctoral studies at UCLA. Her doctoral research draws upon her passions in photography and the arts as she seeks to use photo-ethnographic methods, visual anthropology, Indigenous feminism, community-based methods, and more to explore and showcase Rez Metal. The term Rez Metal references the Indigenous metal (music) scene. It comes from the phrase Rez, which references the reservation lands that belong to American Indians, but it is also a term that carries deep cultural meaning. Rez Metal is a musical genre/movement that seeks to retake ideas about what it means to be American Indian and provide a more accurate and positive view of what American Indian life is about and who American Indians are. Rez Metal moves beyond music to include visual artistry landscapes wherein photography, fashion, and other visual media are used to tell American Indians stories and truths, be it for themselves and/or others. The goal of these works are to provide a voice to American Indians, who are often ignored, erased, or believed to no longer exist, so American Indians can share their truths.
Eagle hopes to use her dissertation research and output as a means of empowering American Indians and deconstruct romanticized and false narratives about American Indians. This is a passion of her that started not just with her doctoral research project but her previous art projects, which include her photographic arts exhibit, “The Real Life Indian”. Her photography projects and ultimately doctoral research seek to provide an accurate and realistic depiction of the various American Indian groups and people that continue to exist and thrive in the modern world.
Works Cited
Eagle, V. (2014). About. Retrieved from Real Life Indian: https://reallifeindian.wordpress.com/
Marks, Z. (2023). About Me. Retrieved from Viki Eagle: https://www.vikieagle.com/\
Native Bruins. (2021, November 17). Native Bruins: Past, Present & Emerging – Viki Eagle. Retrieved from UCLA: American Indian Studies Center: https://main.aisc.ucla.edu/2021/11/17/native-bruins-past-present-emerging-viki-eagle/
6 comments:
Viki Eagle's doctoral research opens the door for the implementation of many programs that help other cultures and ethnicities. The way that Eagle completed her Master's degree but recognized that there was a need for programs to aid American Indian students at UCLA, and then solved those issues is an inspiration for all. She did not stay complacent and ignore the issues, she faced them head on.
I found it very interesting to learn about Indigenous metal, or Rez Metal. I did not know that this was a genre of music, and I found it very intriguing that it was made to help reestablish and define what it means to American Indian, and how important day to day life is. Overall, I am very interested to see how much of an impact Viki Eagles dissertation research will have on helping to negate and deconstruct false narratives of American Indians.
Viki Eagle’s pursuit of her doctorate is already inspiring in itself. However, adding in her goals for becoming a visual anthropologist hits harder. I personally believe her time outside of the country,in Japan, opened her mind up to anthology even more. It’s very important for not just anthropologists but society to explore differently cultures. This includes, food, people, language; and not just within our own country. Its important to spread our wings ans explore what others have to offer. - Kennedi W.
That's incredible I did not know that indigenous to communities have their own type of metal music And I love the fact that it tells a more positive story about American Indians and what it's really like to be one, that is so Intriguing to me.
-Ahmesha johnson
Finding out about Viki Eagle's rich background as a Sicangu Lakota with Japanese American Indian lineage is appealing. Her diverse cultural upbringing probably gives her a diversified viewpoint that enhances both her academic and creative pursuits. Eagle's path shows her commitment to studying and expanding her knowledge, from her graduation from the Red Cloud Indian School to her doctoral studies at UCLA. Her dedication to assisting Native American communities in their educational endeavors is demonstrated by her participation in teaching, recruitment, and retention programs.
I am very impressed with Viki Eagle's work. She is particularly impressive to me because of her American Indian and Asian roots and draws great inspiration from her identity and culture. I could see how her past experiences have influenced her current research and what goals she has for the future.
I believe that her research on Rez Metal and her attempts to communicate the voices of American Indians through photography and art are important projects that break through the traditional romanticized image of American Indians and show the world a realistic and diverse picture of American Indians. I found her past artistic work, “The Real Life Indian,” and her scholarly explorations to portray the real lives of American Indians in today's society and to correct the misunderstood and ignored history to be very significant.
In particular, I feel that her efforts to redefine culture by giving voice to American Indians in society through Rez Metal offers a new perspective. We hope that projects such as this will have an impact not only on her own community, but on society at large.
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