HAASMEEN
I was born and raised on land that was stolen from the Tohono O'odham Nation. My immediate connections are to people and land from the southwestern United States and northern México.
My Story
One of the first personal projects I worked on was in August of 2021. I drove to Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ tribal land. The tribe had been facing racist backlash in response to their right to reclaim 1,400 acres of their ancestral land. This sparked interest in our connection to land as people. The presence of White Supremacy in this concept of land ownership within the United States. And the stories that every parcel of land holds — stories that cannot be colonized.
Currently, I have been researching and documenting my lineage and ancestral relationships to the Scottish Highlands from my paternal side. This has been an ongoing project learning about the establishment’s genocide of Highland culture through colonization and violent removal of indigenous people from their ancestral lands. Photography and ancestral research have been a pathway to building a relationship with the land that holds unlimited memories of our shared past. Through this journey, I’ve been able to explore the role that White supremacy plays in my lineage -- oppressed ancestors becoming the oppressors.
I approach art and photography through a decolonial storytelling lens that asks us to really contend with the great privileges and obscenities we’ve seen enacted throughout history and around the world. I explore the land’s stories and memories, focusing particularly on beings that are not of the human species. I uncover the untold, hidden history of places. These are not just photos. They are stories that need to be told and art provides us the avenue to hear, feel, and see those stories. You can view my art under The Land and The People.
Thank you for taking the time to visit and be with my art.
In gratitude,
Jazmin (pronounced Haas-meen)
