"In the beginning..." implies both what I seek (the genesis of Indigenous culture in the Americas) and what I reject (patriarchal foundations).

Enate is an exposition of the numbers of Native American women who are sexually assaulted each year, presented as material volume—6,956 silk taffeta female figures.

The silhouette figures, dyed with cochineal, are motifs from the earliest (4,000-3,500 BCE) images of females in the Americas. This number—6,956 is the average reported number (according to a twelve-year study) of Native American women sexually assaulted each year. The figures are layered in threes. Native women are three times more likely to be assaulted than other women in the United States, and over ninety per cent of the assaults are by non-Native men. This is an anomaly within ethnic or racial groups.  It reflects arcane jurisdictional limits between tribal, local and federal law enforcement agencies.  And it perpetuates five hundred years of colonial violence towards Indigenous women. 

Each trio of figures forms a cluster resembling feathers and is attached to the cloak.  Cochineal was cultivated by Indigenous people for centuries in the Western Hemisphere to produce vibrant hues for sacred textiles and art.  Carminic acid  produces the pigment, and is found only in the female beetles, to protect them from predators.  Here, cochineal metaphorically unifies the women under a mantle of protection and strength. Ancient goddesses empower and protect Indigenous women and their sovereignty.

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