Reflection

Reflection

When researching the effects of climate change on indigenous communities, I have found that millions of indigenous peoples across the world directly depend on renewable natural resources, including the water around them, that are at most risk to climate variability and pollution. I also learned that many indigenous cultures center around their environment to explain the origin of humankind, personifying it as a microcosm of the earth and the universe. I was inspired to draw a figure that embodies nature as a sacred entity, although it is slowly being consumed and degraded by the world of rampant pollution and industrialization. Indigenous people share a complex cultural relationship with their environment, which they seek to protect rather than exploit for economic gains. When making this piece, I felt as if our earth were a living, breathing entity that reflects back our society: a mirror through which our industries and cities pollute the water, slowly seeping into our earth and the water we drink. I illustrated how indigenous communities are witnessing their environment slowly becoming destroyed by the climate crisis, including deforestation and exploitation, signified through the cracks in the earth’s body, rivers of fresh tears flowing into the polluted water of the earth. I hope to convey the precious nature of our earth and environment, and how the water we live in serves as a reflection of our society that desperately needs change and action before it is too late. I wish to emphasize the importance of making clean water protected, accessible, and equitable for indigenous communities who are vulnerable to water pollution and exploitation. Moving forward, I plan to continue to lobby and protest for legislation that funds sustainable and renewable initiatives, and communities disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.