Balóowappaache is the Crow Indian word for television, which literally translates to “moving papers.” In 2006 I created a video installation called Balóowappaache which mimics a contemporary Crow Indian sweat lodge on the outside while reproducing my grandmother’s living room on the inside. Both the interior and exterior of the lodge characterize nostalgic experiences from my life representing a place of clarity, ritual, and gathering.
Inside the lodge two chairs sit in front of a television. The video plays scenes of violence from Hollywood depictions of American Indians juxtaposed with footage I shot on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Displayed on the walls of the lodge are pictures of my extended family and tribal ancestors. The lodge is fragrant with the odor of burnt sage and cedar, and is heated to cause viewers to perspire upon entering.
Balóowappaache exhibits a multifaceted view of American Indian life based on Hollywood’s historical interpretation and my own current day personal experience of being raised on the Crow Indian Reservation.