Image of AnAkA provided by Black Oregon Land Trust.

When we first reached out to the Black Oregon Land Trust, in the beginning stages of planning for this fundraiser, we were contacted by AnAkA, the BOLT Administration Manager. From that first correspondence, we learned that AnAkA is also a film photographer. Naturally, we were very excited for the opportunity to talk more with her about her connection with film, farming, and some of the values of BOLT.

AnAkA is a visual storyteller, film photographer, active archivist, alchemist and artist. She grew up in Portland, OR and is a descendent of revolutionaries, healers, and earth protectors. She practices the ancestral right to live a sovereign life through herbalism, tattooing, photography, film, dance and music. She is particularly passionate about sacred wisdom and cultural preservation, and believes this mission is in direct alignment with environmental preservation. AnAkA envisions a future full of sacred temples on protected lands, holding space for communities to thrive in peace.

Photograph by AnAkA. ©AKTIV8 Archive of 4n4k4 LLC. — Photograph by AnAkA.
©AKTIV8 Archive of 4n4k4 LLC.

Why do you incorporate film into your creative process?

I incorporate film into my daily process because as someone who honors the Source energy of things I like to go to the root of a practice. In order to fully understand what photography is, one must see how light imprints on the film to make an image. Using film also creates more sacred energy around each photograph, I enjoy taking my time and feeling the right energy before snapping a photo. I often find the best photographs I take, even on shoots where I use both digital and film, the film photographs come out with the most potent energy.

Is there anything about the medium itself that inspires you as an artist?

I am inspired by the medium of film because it is working with light in order to freeze time. This is such a beautiful practice and way to create relationship with space and time.

BOLT is all about empowering Black communities to thrive through land and food sovereignty. There is such care and intentionality in the work that you all are doing. Do you feel any of the BOLT ideals come through in your creative practice?

Sovereignty of expression is important to us at BOLT, and that is also important to me as an artist archiving the sacred wisdom of the world. Having sovereignty over how we document each other, how we share wisdom and culture, has a direct relationship to the healing that needs to happen surrounding the reclamation of the land. There needs to be a lot of healing around the ways we come together, the ways we reclaim and the ways we share resources. BOLT is determined to have land for generations to come so we have the time and space to heal, recreate and reimagine the future for the better of all things.

Photo collage by AnAkA.©AKTIV8 Archive of 4n4k4 LLC. — Photo collage by AnAkA.
©AKTIV8 Archive of 4n4k4 LLC.

How is your photographic process informed by your culture?

Photography was first used against Black & Brown people as a means of categorization and justification of racism and racist tactics such as the practice of anthropology. I purposefully went into photography and cultural studies in order to decolonize this space and be a person creating with a lens of justice. I focus specifically on documenting cultures and artists and practitioners who are creating in ways that may not otherwise be documented. There is inherent privilege in who can have a camera, and I use this privilege to shine a light on my people and our purposes first and foremost.

It seems there could be many parallels between farming and shooting film: to follow a plant from seed to sprout to harvest; witnessing an image blossoming into existence in the darkroom…

Is there anything particularly resonant for you between the act of tending the land and film photography?

Tending the land and tending to my photographic process are similar in the way that I get to patiently watch the growth come forward. The organic nature of film aligns with the natural elements. I am grateful to see an image appear like how a sprout appears from the ground. You never know exactly how it will turn out but as long as you birth it with faith it will come out beautiful!

To see more of her creative work - from tattooing to photography to herbal medicine to dance - visit her website at http://anaka.work

To learn more about the BOLT movement and to support their cause, visit their website at https://msha.ke/bolt/.

Film, Sovereignty, and Sacred Energy: An Interview with AnAkA from Black Oregon Land Trust