Alternative Futures and Solidarities

• Read:
  • “Taking the Fiction Out of Science Fiction: A Conversation about Indigenous Futurisms”—An interview with Grace Dillon, a scholar in Indigenous futurisms, exploring the concept of “imagining forward.”
  • “Decolonizing Science Fiction and Imagining Indigenous Futures: An Indigenous Futurisms Roundtable”—Indigenous creators discuss the power of decolonizing speculative fiction.
• Watch: She Falls For Ages,” Skawenatti — Skawenatti’s sci-fi retelling of the Haudenosaunee creation story.

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 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• How does each reading challenge mainstream narratives about progress or the future? Whose visions of the future are typically preserved or centered?
• In She Falls For Ages, how does the reimagining of a traditional story change or reinforce your understanding of Indigenous perspectives on time and legacy?
• What role does tradition play in imagining the future? How might stories function as archives of both memory and possibility?

• Read:
  • “Coming to You from the Indigenous Future: Native Women, Speculative Film Shorts, and the Art of the Possible,” Danika Medak-Saltzman — on Native women’s role in speculative media.
  • “How to Survive the Apocalypse for Native Girls,” Kai Minosh Pyle (in *Love After the End) —* a queer Indigenous anthology about the end of the world and resilience.
  • “Constellations of Co-Resistance,” Leanne Simpson — reflections on solidarity and resistance.
• Watch:
  • *Hoverboard* (dir. Sydney Freeland) — a short film blending sci-fi with Indigenous humor
  • The 6th World (dir. Nanobah Becker) — a story of Navajo astronauts confronting environmental issues on Mars.
  • The Cave (dir. Helen Haig-Brown) — a re-imagining of time travel and ancestral memory.

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 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• How might Indigenous values of community and stewardship be woven into future technological advances or environmental approaches—and how are these visions documented?
• Reflect on the role of solidarity in Indigenous futurisms. How do these works envision alliances across different groups or identities?
• How do Indigenous values inform future visions? What possibilities are preserved through speculative storytelling?

• Experience: Attend the Education and Training Team’s Creative Writing Workshop and explore how creative writing can be a tool for envisioning futures through Indigenous storytelling methods.
• Read:
  • Love After the End anthology — Queer Indigenous visions of the future.
  • Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction, edited by Grace L. Dillon — a collection of Indigenous sci-fi and futurist stories.
  • Take Us to Your Chief: and Other Stories, Drew Hayden Taylor — classic sci-fi tropes with a First Nations twist.
  • Future Home of the Living God, Louise Erdrich — a novel on dystopia, evolution, and survival.
• Watch:
  • Blood Quantum (dir. Jeff Barnaby) — a zombie apocalypse movie rooted in Indigenous survival.
  • Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes) (dir. Amanda Strong) — a stop-motion film on time, language, and resilience.
• Listen:
  • “Empowering Through Story: Indigenous Creativity and Leadership with Josue Rivas” (Beyond the Art Podcast) — discussions on storytelling, leadership, and Indigenous creativity.
  • “Métis in Space" Podcast — reviews of sci-fi with Indigenous feminist humor.
  • “Indigenous Futurisms” (Imaginary Worlds Podcast) — explores Indigenous sci-fi perspectives.

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 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• How do storytelling and speculative fiction serve as tools for reclaiming Indigenous identities and envisioning possible futures? What does it mean to archive imagination?
• After watching Blood Quantum or Biidaaban, what role does memory play in shaping future identities and communities?
• How might these speculative works function as archives of resistance—preserving possibilities often excluded from dominant narratives of the future?
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Develop an interactive timeline that explores multiple possible Indigenous futures. Integrate Indigenous perspectives on time (cyclical or non-linear), traditional knowledge, and contemporary innovations. Consider this timeline as both a creative project and an archival practice—documenting not what was, but what could be.

1. Choose Your Timeline Format:
   • Digital interactive timeline
   • Physical installation or collage
   • Mixed media presentation
2. Create Timeline Segments:
   • Near future (next 5-10 years)
   • Mid-range future (25-50 years)
   • Long-term future (100+ years)
   • Include cyclical elements if relevant.
3. For Each Time Period, Include:
   • Key events or technological advancements
   • Cultural practices and innovations
   • Environmental changes or adaptations
   • Transformations in community life
   • Integration of traditional knowledge with technology

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💬 Reflection Prompts:

• What values and practices do you imagine guiding each phase of this timeline? How did you decide what to include or exclude?
• How does this imagined future reflect or challenge contemporary structures—and what role does memory play in your vision?
• In creating your timeline, did you find unexpected intersections between traditional knowledge and modern innovations? How might this timeline itself become an archive for others?
• What does it mean to document not only the past, but possible futures? Who gets to imagine forward—and whose visions are preserved?