Hello, Native City

Hello world, my name is Dagny Elise and I’m a current dual M.Arch and M.LA candiate at the University of Pennsylvania. I’m also proudly Indigenous, and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Shawnee Tribe. Being Indigenous has certainly influenced my drive to design, and this blog will be a place where I can express my [developing] thoughts on cities and spaces as a Native woman in the 21st century.

This site is called Native City, and I’m Native City Girl. What does that mean, exactly? I’m trying to figure out. Some things we already know are that

• Native City is not just for Native people. It is for everyone. It welcomes everyone.
• Native City is not just for humans. It is for plants and animals too.
• Native City remembers its histories, good and bad. History is not objective, and Native City knows that history can be told from various perspectives over time. It honors history in its multiplicities and its challenges.
• Native City keeps an eye on the future. In all its forms, the City knows that it lives on time and resources borrowed from those to come. The city we build today is the one our children will inhabit tomorrow, so we build wisely and lovingly for the future.

There are more thoughts to come as we flesh out how to create this city; why we create this city. I don’t think this city exists anywhere yet, but there are hints of it in different places and ideas even now. I plan to travel to find it, and I will take this blog with me.

Let’s learn together! ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲᎢ