This is Erin. She is Citizen Potawatomi.
When young she was given her Native name...Nanogaskawe which means "Hummingbird Woman." In Native culture, hummingbirds symbolize messengers and carriers of joy! Her ancestors once roamed this land, Prophetstown, where we met to capture these photos. As Erin and her mother shared the history of injustices perpetrated against their family of old I was brokenhearted. Tragically, her great, great grandfather and his tribe were removed from Prophetstown and forced to walk The Trail of Death to Kansas. Only a remnant survived. If her ancestors could have looked ahead, I know they would be proud to see that their resilient spirit lives on in their Hummingbird Woman!
