envisioning a future where our indigenous traditions
co-exist with(in)our urban landscapes

Photos by Robbie Sweeny

URBAN x INDIGENOUS IV: Unite the tribes

Join us in Ohlone Territory/San Francisco (Yelamu) to experience a weekend full of learning, the arts, and community bonding! UxI IV will also host the world premiere of H.O.L.Y. CITY!

UxI IV: Unite the Tribes seeks to re-commune, reconnect, and reorganize our urban indigenous family.  Across the globe, the hxstory of imperialism has displaced indigenous communities, exploiting their sacred lands for resources and labor.  In our urban environment, we continue to bear witness to the separation and displacement of communities of color through forces such as gentrification.  Plagued by politicians who preach divisiveness, we now, more than ever, must (re)unite in strength and resilience.

As UxI enters our fourth year, we are excited to hold space for art, performance, and dialogue that challenge the forces that attempt to divide us, and that speak to the power of uniting in the face of adversity. How do we reclaim our belonging to our lands, to our ancestors, and to each other? How do we use art to shift our urban environments towards collective wellness and ensure our movements are rooted in fullest, most whole expressions of our being? How do we unite across the borders that have been created for us to re-envision how we live together, how we resist together, and how we shape the future for our generations yet to come? Can we achieve a way of solidarity that still embraces our differences?

FULL SCHEDULE: urbanxindigenous.wordpress.com

TICKETS: unitethetribes.bpt.me
* no one turned away for lack of funds *

please email urbanxindigenous@gmail.com for community discount codes and other inquiries

H.O.L.Y. (HATE OFTEN LOVES YOU) CITY
needs your support for our world premiere!

We had a successful first run of H.O.L.Y. CITY from March 22-24, 2018 with a Community Day offering of free workshops and interactive installations on March 25, 2018 at ACT Costume Shop Theater. This was made possible through my ArtShare Partner Residency and with support from APICC, SFAC, Grants for the Arts, SOMArts Cultural Center, Bayanihan Community Center, and Dancers' Group's CA$H Grant Program. 

We are gearing up for our world premiere on June 16-17, 2018 as the featured presentation of URBAN x INDIGENOUS IV: Unite the Tribes at SOMArts - which is the featured program for the 21st Annual United States of Asian America Festival: Regenerative Community!

We need YOUR support to raise funds to pay our collaborating artists, production designers, and offset costs for our beautiful venue (rental)! Please spread the word to your folks who believe art rooted in social justice and spiritual practice deserves to be SUSTAINED.

in gratitude,
S A M M A Y x

VESSEL: HEALING THE DIASPORA
[ AN ONGOING WORKSHOP OFFERING ]

VESSEL is an interactive workshop rooted in storytelling through movement, writing, and performance. Through activating our bodies as receivers of ancestral memory, how can we serve our own healing journeys for transformation of self/lineage/community? Together, we will instigate the smells, sights, sounds, and somatic sensations residing in our respective vessels and re-discover how our DNA and lived experiences assist us in remembering and recognizing our intergenerational truths - which further our envisioning for the world we dream for the future generations. Facilitated by SAMMAY, this workshop aims to create an inclusive and holistic experience for all participants and will be a process of collaboration and co-creation throughout.

Please click the CONTACT tab to inquire for more information and/or how to book SAMMAY for your next community workshop/healing space!

URBAN x INDIGENOUS

san francisco (yelamu)

UxI is an intergenerational multidisciplinary arts festival that seeks to explore our collective identity and respective ancestral lineages through an intersectional and intercultural framework.

silbihan

san francisco (yelamu)

silbihan is a multimedia performance ritual that investigates the (dis)connections between mothers and daughters of the diaspora through the lens of religion versus spirituality – centered on the daughters’ discovery of the babaylan.

Malice in Tenderland

tenderloin, san francisco (yelamu)

Malice in Tenderland is a site-specific piece envisioned and performed by SAMMAY embedded within This Is What I Want Festival: DESIRE. Malice sets off to find the funeral for patriarchy and finds herself in some unexpected situations along the way.

Last Blue Couch in the Sky

south of market, san francisco (yelamu)

Under the direction of Kim Epifano/Epiphany Dance Theatre, Last Blue Couch in the Sky took audience members on a 3-hour journey from Tutubi Plaza to YBCA Forum and spoke to the ever-changing tides of the city and specifically, South of Market.