Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bonesha Pedro. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Bonesha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I have had many meaningful projects throughout the years, more recently I have started a Master’s of Arts program where there is a space for others to explore their identity and make room to honor cultural artistic expressions. Embracing my Indigenous identity, dancing, singing and participating in cultural discussions has played a huge impact on my overall well-being. I have served my Indigenous Community by giving back to the youth through mental health services honoring our history, culture, and traditional values. This has been a passion as I myself have gone through hardships often times unseen, unheard by the mainstream world. As I have solidified this passion, facing many hardships and successes, I have found that in the midst of honoring the power of my own creative expressions, my dream is to make room for others to do the same. At the end of this project, I will have a work-product that includes academic and artistic/cultural pieces that can hopefully have a positive impact on those participating and receiving.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Bonesha Pedro, creative artist and dancer of my culture. I am Yup’ik (Alaska Native) and African American dancer, writer, artist and healing advocate. My creative journey began once I attended Tribal College, this is where I began learning my history and became passionate about generational healing composing music, dances, and writing poetry. I dedicated all my studies moving forward to honoring Indigenous Studies. Since 2015, I have traveled around the country sharing music, movement, and expressing my story of overcoming life hardships. Today, My Husband and I, who is also a dancer of his culture, create together for special events and passionately share our life journey on YouTube. Our hearts are to encourage, teach and share with others the power of embracing your culture as a way of healing from generational trauma and life hardships. This year, we plan on traveling for different cultural events, expressing ourselves and connecting with others with the same passions.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The main thing about owning a creative journey, is prioritizing the creative flow and honoring projects without feeling guilty or the false ideas of “productivity”. I have been navigating my life as a mental health professional, putting the more creative parts of myself on the side, for the sake of income or fulfilling the needs of a work place. In this season, I am unlearning the mindsets of toxic productivity and honoring what it means to create for my own well-being. This means not putting my creative opportunities on the side and flowing even when it makes others uncomfortable. I think there are many things to unlearn in this process, but waking up and choosing to say yes to the opportunity to express myself, is the best way I find fulfillment as a creative.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal and mission is not only to share my own story and embrace my culture, but to make room for others to feel empowered to do the same. Sharing and owning your story is powerful, because no one else can do it the way that you can, and every story matters. In my Indigenous Culture, “art” did not exist, creating was simply a part of survival and nurtured our connection to one-another, the land and Heavens. Cultivating safe spaces where identity can be honored, shame can be diminished, and authentic expression can live, will always be my hearts passion. Where we can create, we heal, where we can share safely, we are heard.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.neshachristy.com/connect
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bonesha.pedro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nesha.christy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonesha-christy-b93a9717a
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@boneshapedro/videos
Image Credits
Esther Robertson