Fifty triangles embody fifty states. 

Thirteen triangle tents are for the thirteen original colonies.

Pop-up construction is easy, but not simple. The assembly by three to four volunteers is a juxtaposition as they are simulating the government’s role in Native American’s lives and actually pulling the triangle tents apart (triangles symbolize extended family and home). Sanity and well-being are not completely demolished, but hanging on for dear life. From afar, the government is gracious towards Native people. “Trust relationship or responsibility” refers to the government’s non-written agreement to protect the well-being of the tribal members in return for willingness to give up their lands. As for imagery on triangular panels, each pop-up would illustrate the specific Native land of the protest location, thus morphing into a chameleon.

The pop-up journey starts in a state of calm, but becomes increasingly uneasy through turning of the corners. The scales of the folds impose constriction. The visitor travels through a story of injustice, simulating victim experiences. One wrestles with uncomfortable emotions that victims of sexual assault, abduction, and murder experience. Triangular folds extrude inwards representing the severe isolation forced upon Native people. Federal policies (the tunnel) have maneuvered through every aspect of Native life--the education of children, self-governance, and the brutal determination of spirituality and culture.

Exiting the tunnel of sharp edges, the only option left is a cry for mercy. Visitors will see Native American reservations, and the policies they embody, manifest into brutal tinges on humanity. Sit in the discomfort for a while, breathe in the friction, and just try to grapple with it. The mind remembers tragedy through movement and stillness.