Neráidos par Kindra Nikole Via Flickr : Brand-new image created for Antler Gallery in Portland, Oregon. This piece is now available through Antler for their Unnatural Histories V annual group show, opening this evening! For inquiries on adopting this piece, please e-mail antlerpdx@gmail.com.
This annual show asks artists to create imaginary creatures or visit mythological creatures from any genre, and then write a description for their creature. I made mine up, based loosely off of fae and dryads. Here’s my description I wrote for this imagined creature!
“The solitary and nomadic Neráidos dwells deep within the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. This mystical creature travels from forest to forest, feeding on local fauna before moving on. All Neráidos are herbivores. They subsist on the detritus of decomposing vegetation found on the forest floor but have been known to eat fungi, moss, and fresh ivy as well. Although Neráidos prefer to live in isolation, forest rats are drawn to them and often travel many miles alongside their dryadic companions. Scholars speculate that the two share a symbiotic relationship, although no one has gathered enough data to confirm this theory. Catching sight of one of these mysterious forest dwellers is incredibly rare, as they have the ability to shapeshift—and will do so the moment any human comes within a few hundred feet of them. When they sense danger or an unfamiliar presence, they rapidly assume the form of a mossy tree, tangled with ivy. Their limbs become rooted to the earth, and in this form, they draw nutrients from the soil, allowing them to remain hidden for as long as a year, if necessary. Due to deforestation, Neráidos settle into their tree form less and less frequently. It seems that Neráidos are migrating farther north, perhaps due to reckless logging, as fortunate hikers (and unfortunate loggers) have reported Neráidos sightings as far north as the Yukon Territory.”
Probably individual tribe names, like Lakota, Dakota, Nakota.
If you need to refer to all of them, Oceti Sakowin is the phrase we use. Sioux is a slur that refers to all three tribal groups.
I’m curious about this. Especially since several members of AIM referred to themselves as Sioux and I’m just not quite buying Russell Means didn’t know the subtlety.
It’s not uncommon for us to use it because it is the official language used by the US govt.
But Sioux is a French version of a word by another tribe that means Snake. We never used it to refer to ourselves prior to that, and it is a slur.
Indian is also used by AIM and our tribal names, and everyone knows better than to call us that, right?
Hi, I recently had to put down my dog and I’m really sad about it. Do you think you could find any pictures of a mostly white blue heeler? That’s what he looked like. Thank you if you can but if you can’t it’s okay!
