First Literature Project Exhibition Opens at Ma’s House

Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio will present an opening reception for First Literature Project, a collaborative interactive exhibition by Shinnecock linguist Wunetu Wequai Tarrant and filmmaker Christian Scheider, on Sunday, March 16, from 5 to 8 p.m. The First Literature Project proposes to support Native nations in their efforts to maintain and further their languages, narratives and oral traditions, making them available to both their tribal communities and surrounding areas.

Spoken in both English and — for the first time in modern history— the reawakening Shinnecock language, First Literature Project employs an immersive storytelling platform. Virtual reality is mixed with 3D video to recreate the timeless experience of sitting face-to-face with a storyteller. Initially developed over a two-year period as part of Guild Hall’s Community Artists-in-Residence, First Literature Project is an ongoing effort building research and community collaborations. The exhibition also features video works by the Shinnecock language revitalization collective Ayim Kutoowonk and interviews with members of the Shinnecock Nation.

Wunetu Wequai Tarrant is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation. She grew up with her family on the Shinnecock reservation peninsula. Wunetu has been inspired by her grandmother and matriarch of the ThunderBird clan, Elizabeth “Chee Chee” ThunderBird Haile, to promote cultural preservation and education. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Alfred University in 2011, a Masters of Native American Linguistics and Languages from the University of Arizona 2020 and is currently a Linguistics Ph.D. candidate at the University of Arizona focusing on the reconstruction and revitalization of the Shinnecock dialect of Southern New England Algonquian. Wunetu has worked closely with the Algonquian Language Revitalization Project on designing curriculum and activities for teaching Shinnecock and related dialects and continues to research best practices in language research and production of materials that will be accessible to community members and teachers regardless of linguistic education experience. She has continued to advocate for Indigenous students as the Julia & Bernard Bloch fellow (2019-2022) and special interest groups through the Linguistic Society of America.

Christian Scheider is an independent filmmaker and theater maker. Scheider has co- adapted, produced and directed Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Murderer” and Kurt Vonnegut’s novel “Galápagos” into fully staged productions and premiered an original slapstick comedy “The Summit.” For film, Scheider has produced and directed the documentary “Sunny,” about two married death row exonerees, and co-produced and directed the documentary “The Tree Prophet” about a self-identified climate prophet, which won the Audience Award at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival. Scheider is currently writing and producing the limited series “Pullman,” about the eponymous railroad baron and the American labor uprising of 1894, and “Tree of Power,” an opera based on the true story of chimpanzees in 2017 creating a new religion.

The opening reception of First Literature Project will feature Native-inspired catering by Chef Jacob Mark. The exhibition runs March 9 to June 1. Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio is on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation at 59 Old Point Road in Southampton. For more information, visit mashouse.studio or call 631-566-0486.