Media From Earth 2.7
I've always been a fan of science fiction and fantasy. Ever since I was a kid, I found myself gravitating towards imaginative stories that showed different possibilities.
In 2018 I started a project called Scifi Women From Another Dimension, today that long-term project has evolved into Media From Earth 2.7. This collaborative project explores what fantasy and science fiction might look like when the dominant narrative comes from the perspective of brown women, instead of white men. Taking place, on an earth just like this one, only 2 dimensions over and 7 light years away the stories that are told reflect a society that values women for their insight, compassion, and intellect. Stories that originate from Indigenous cultures and are focused on cooperation and community.
Myths of the Desert Royals is one of these stories. Taking place in the most complex desert on Turtle Island, this myth explores connections between the land and the environment of the Sonoran Desert. Through two Kachinas, indigenous earth spirits, it explores how everything that calls the desert home is connected to one other and it’s because of that connection that they all thrive.
The full myth has been created into my very first zine!!
It is said that the I'itoi had many sisters who were Kachinas. Two of these sisters, Jui and Kaij nourished and protected the land which is the center of all things, Desierto De Sonora.
In this thriving subtropical desert, these Nature spirits are the essence of life to all who call the desert home. For the fragrances of night-blooming cactus flowers, sacred datura, and the aromatic oils of creosote bush to be released into the air, first the summer rains must fall.
They are the distant calls of the Cactus Wrens, cicadas, and Curve-billed Thrashers. They move with the leafcutter ants, the carpenter bees, and even the hummingbirds. Supporting one another while constantly evolving to thrive in the extreme conditions of the desert.
These Kachinas’ are the bridge between species which benefit each other; for without them, the desert would be an impoverished wasteland.
They are a reminder that the diversity of the Sonoran Desert is what makes it so rich and full of life.
Jui and Kaij are a constant reminder that we are all connected and only together can we thrive. Alone, we suffer.