Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane Lara.

Hi Shane, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in the year 1998. My father is of Native descent but never knew of his tribal roots and my mother is Italian. Spoken word has always been a part of me for as long as I can remember and is deeply intertwined with my Native American identity though I wasn’t able to reclaim it until I was 20 years old. Though I had no sense of my history, I found my love of spoken word at a very young age in kindergarden. I loved learning new bigger words and making those words rhyme together. I didn’t pay much attention to my talents at the time as it just felt like a fun activity but this began to change when I found a love for Hip-Hop music. I loved the metaphores, similes and rhyme schemes that I heard from the artists my dad listened to like Kool Moe Dee along with Grandmaster Flash. I soon practiced the art of freestyling and listening to Hip-Hop at it’s early stages in the 70s all the way to the present day to immerse myself in the artform. In middle school I would freestyle to joke around but soon that turned into battling other opponents to see who was the better rapper. I then began writing my own lyrics and recording amateur songs on my phone with friends. I wasn’t the most polished at the time but soon this skill began to grow and I found myself recording music in a studio dropping tracks on my youtube channel. When I attended Fresno Community College my professors noticed my skill as a writer and gave me opportunities to read pieces to the community college crowd. It is around this time I reconnected to the Natchitoches Tribe of Louisiana and my spoken word evolved into something powerful. I was overjoyed to find my family and I spent a lot of time visiting my long lost community in Louisiana. They loved me with all their heart and called my ability to use spoken word a gift from creator. The most touching moment came from the tribal educator of my tribe Audricka Young who adopted me as one of her own and taught me what it meant to be a good Native man. I returned home with a passion for Native American people and my writing became a vessel to represent the struggles in many different Indigenous communities all over Turtle Island. An english professor Kristen Norton who ran the creative writing club soon became my mentor and encouraged me to attend a poetry slam in Visalia. Though I was hesistant due to my Hip-Hop background I took a healthy risk and competed with Loudmouth Poetry Jam. I ended up winning first place becoming the first Native American Grand Slam Champion of Visalia. From there I was sent all over the country to compete in poetry competitions making good side money along the way. After 2 years of competing I decided to take a step back from competition to focus on my community. I now educate people about Native culture, work with the Native youth and i’ve began writing novels from the Native perspective.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My Journey has been a turbulant one. Growing up without a sense of culture and identity is hard. You don’t really feel like you belong anywhere. Spoken word and Hip-Hop became my identity to make me feel whole but people didn’t always understand that. My parents couldn’t really see the importance of writing and Hip-Hop in the beginning as it was seen as something that could be dangerous or negative only seeing it through the gangster rap perspective but not Hip-Hop culture as a whole. I continued writing but I never spoke about it to my parents for many years. I loved the art so much yet I had to partake in my passion in secret. This lack of understanding also extended to my Identity as an Indigenous man. When I found my tribe it was a turning point in my life that finally made me feel whole but when I finally returned to California friends I had at the time were skeptical. “There’s no way you are Native American.” My father had doubts too that we actually came from a tribe. It was just unbelievable for so many people who knew me. It hurt so much because being accepted by my tribe was heaven on earth. I was 20 years old when I found my way home and outside my community I was met with skepticism like it was impossible that Native Americans even still existed. I carried on and became open with my new identity. I became more involved with the tribes in the Central Valley area and they accepted me, never asking or questioning where I came from. The more active I became the more hatred I witnessed hatred from non-Natives. When we celebrated Indigenous peoples day at Fresno City College some students would mock our drummers. When the news would post articles about our celebration day on social media many would leave hateful comments like “You guys are savages” and “Columbus is king you guys lost get over it”. Being Native means being misunderstood even by other marginalized groups. I often feel like the minority of the minority. As I learned my history I learned that this country never saw me as a human being. The Declaration of Independence refers to my people as “Merciless Indian Savages” and every action you can think of was used to try to erase us from history. The pain of colonialism deeply affects my lineage. My 8th great grandmother was Angelique Hasanai and she was nicknamed the Little Angel for her kindness towards all people. Despite her kindness she lived to see the full force of French colonialism and her 3 daughters were married off to older men when they were 12 due to catholic common law marriage at the time. When Angelique past away in 1758 the priest who wrote her record simply wrote “Death of an Indian Savagess”. Despite her kindness others did not see her as human and I carry that trauma within me. With my identity as a spoken word artist and a Natchitoches Native I am often misunderstood but that hasn’t stopped me from educating those who are willing to hear me.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in public speaking, poetry, creative writing and conversation. In my community i’m known for running poetry workshops under my brand Deadly Medicine Poetry which aims to elevate the voices of Native writers. As a public speaker I am often called on by many different non-profits to read land acknowledgments as well as open up their event with a poem relevant to their area of work or activism. I also enter these spaces to have healthy dialogue with other communities. Sometimes they are roundtable discussions where we talk about the different issues our communities face, soon learning that our struggles are intertwined. My work has also brought me to equity labs where I educate professors on the struggles Native students face as well as how our history still has a strong effect on us to this very day. My work has also extended to me stepping in as an author since i’m currently very close to releasing my first novel 4 Directions Through Fire that is the post apocalyptic genre but told from the Native perspective. One of my most proudest moments is when I was contracted by California Indian Manpower Consortium to write a Native childrens book. The book I created was called “Good Medicine” a story that represented the difficulties Indigenous children faced during the Covid-19 Pandemic and how families persevered. What sets me apart from others is that I am willing to work inside and outside my communities to help foster understanding. I also don’t limit myself to just poetry. I am happy to take a healthy risk and explore other art forms just like how i’m stepping into my new role as an author. The biggest change I did was partaking in an acto play with Pan Vally Institute called “My Relationship with America” where each of us represented our marginalized communities in a monologue. I am very flexible when collaborating with others and willing to have those difficult conversations that aren’t spoken about. To me all arts are interconnected and compliment each other able to flow together in harmony.

How do you define success?
To me success is not about money, how many folllowers you have or the competitions you win. Success is being fulfilled in the work you do. Whether you are a painter, a poet, or an actor if you are happy with what you are doing then you are successful. Even when I do a poetry workshop I don’t define my success by how many people attend, rather my success is defined by the people I reach. If I can encourage one person to embrace their creative side then that is a victory. Our society is obessed with fame and money. Making money is nice, we all need to keep a roof over our heads but making money alone will not give us fulfillment. When people come up to me saying my poem meant so much to them that is currency to me. When I use my voice to represent Native culture I feel like I am healing my entire lineage past and present. I know i’m honoring my ancestors and to have them by my side feels enlightening. I’m grateful for what I have now and I may never be a millionaire but I do think I am a rich man. Being successful is realizing that you are a somebody here and now. The fact that you are a creative is a success. With the work i’m doing I believe I am successful. I believe the work I am doing now will benefit my people 7 generations down the line. For me the words of Geronimo ring true “Wisdom and peace come when you start living the life creator intended for you.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanedarapper98/profilecard/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093903806634&mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@decapitationmusic4295?si=mwxlPPOExuFh84La
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@decapitation0917?_t=8rYvW8mAUhP&_r=1

Image Credits
The photo with me on stage with other actors was taken by photographer Eduardo Stanley. The photo of me sitting on my knees was taken by Gary Barger.