Shinnecock nation, usa
100CAMERAS X BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF SHINNECOCK NATION
100cameras X Boys & Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation is a part of a 8 class course that is custom designed by 100cameras to equip passionate creatives with the tools to empower youth in a community they care about with the opportunity to learn how to process their stories and create change. Pictured here are 100cameras students during the course.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
100cameras X Boys & Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation took place in August of 2021 on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in New York USA. In partnership with Shinnecock Indian Nation youth and the Boys & Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation, a local organization that provides much-needed programming and activities for youth that foster a sense of connection to themselves and their community. The program was co-led by Jessie Adler and Jeremy Dennis.
As reflected by Dyashwa Sylvester, Director of the Boys & Girls Club, “I think that there's been a loss of identity over the years. We had to assimilate generations ago, and that assimilation has caused a lot of trauma in our communities. And I feel that trickle down has caused us to lose interest in our culture and has caused the opposite effect of what our ancestors had originally intended for us, which was to practice our culture and thrive as indigenous people and be proud of who we are. So when our youth are comfortable and they feel like they can trust and they can learn from someone or an experience, that is when the change occurs. I've witnessed it myself.”
The Shinnecock Indian Reservation is a self-governing reservation and has a museum, shellfish hatchery, education center, cultural and community center, playground, and Presbyterian church. “I think it's so important for indigenous youth to just build up the practice and the routine of sharing their own stories and their own representation and questioning outside images that are put onto us. What's so special is that I think the students who participated in the program did not realize how important their voices are. They are creating an archive for the future and documenting such important images,” shares Jeremy Dennis, Indigenous Photographer and Program Co-leader. “We just need these types of programs to allow ourselves to go back to that tradition of community and being together and just being kind of like a single unit or a single entity.”
“We have been here in Shinnecock on our ancestral territory for thousands and thousands of years. We are so proud of that fact, and so we have this really strong bond and really strong community. We are all hoping to lift each other up and to rise above and just be uplifting in that way.
And so I really was excited about sharing my knowledge with photography along with the Shinnecock youth to help them tell their own story and just be able to share the opportunity to enjoy the arts and enjoy creativity, and specifically photography.”
ABOUT THE PROGRAM LEADERS
Jeremy Dennis (b. 1990) is a contemporary fine art photographer and a tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, NY. In his work, he explores indigenous identity, culture, and assimilation. He currently lives and works in Southampton, New York on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.
Jessie Adler is an American documentary filmmaker driven by a desire to better understand the forces that determine our individual identities, collectives experiences and abilities to connect to one another. Her video advocacy work has led her to collaborations with communities through North America, the Amazon Region, and the Mekong Region. She received her MFA in 2018 from SVA’s Social Documentary program. Her thesis film, The Boxers of Brule, tells the story of healing through sport, sisterhood and tradition within the Kul Wičasa Oyate of present day South Dakota.
STUDENT IMAGE GALLERY
“They were always excited to be outside and take photos of each other as part of the walk-around activities. They were proud and their parents were proud of the photos they took.”
Follow us on social media to see images from the field as captured by the 100cameras X Boys & Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation team and the student photographers.