Day 23. Indigenous Futurisms in Art and Story.
What does the future look like when freed from colonial limits? Indigenous Futurisms answer this question through story, art, and imagination. They paint worlds where sovereignty, land, and spirit are restored, and where queerness thrives as part of wholeness.
Artists and writers are using science fiction, speculative art, and digital media to reclaim narrative power. Cherie Dimaline’s novel The Marrow Thieves envisions Indigenous youth leading humanity’s survival. Skawennati, a Mohawk multimedia artist, creates virtual worlds that center Indigenous presence in digital futures. Projects such as Night Raiders and Neon Genesis Indigene blend resilience with visionary imagination.
Queer Indigenous artists bring even deeper dimensions, imagining futures where gender diversity and sexuality are sacred, not erased. By fusing queerness with futurism, they build worlds where healing, land, and belonging are not just possible but inevitable.
As scholar Grace Dillon, who coined the term Indigenous Futurisms, explains:
“Imagining ourselves in the future is a radical act of survival. It means we are still here, and we will continue to be here.”
Indigenous Futurisms remind us that survival is not enough. Thriving, queerly, sovereignly, and joyfully, is the future we are called to co-create.
Learn More
- Book: Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction – edited by Grace Dillon
- Exhibits and Artist Profiles: Indigenous Futurism, Exploring the Landscapes of Digital Art – Mackenzie Art Gallery
- Article: Tracing the Roots of Indigenous Science Fiction and Futurisms in America – Michigan State University
- Book: Radical Refusal and the Potential of Queer Indigenous Futures – by Mo’e’hahne, Ho’esta
- Article: “Indigenous Futurisms and Queer Possibility” – from Autostraddle
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