ABSTRACT
In 1871, Congress unilaterally decreed it would no longer make treaties with Native nations, because this practice acknowledged Indigenous sovereignty. This chapter explores the resurgence of Indigeneity in the present by studying the Moonshot Indigenous comics collection. In a podcast interview, Hope Nicholson further noted that the comic format addresses racism and ignorance because the combination of text and imagery is more accessible than academic prose. This also counters the homogenization of Indigenous identity. Moonshot is as much a form of recordkeeping as it is a testimony of survival. As Michael Sheyahshe wrote in Moonshot’s introduction, this is a work of cultural continuance proving that Native people have persevered. The assertion of the human portraits in Moonshot challenges readers to rethink and reformulate their preconceived notions. In contrast, Moonshot offers artistry by and for Native people as an act of reclamation through authenticity.
