CV: You identify as an indigenous Mohawk. Tell us more about your background. BP: My parents come from two different nations – my dad is Mohawk and my mom is Ojibwe. I was raised more by my mom, who didn’t grow up with much of a connection to her culture. She began to recover and learn more about her culture in adulthood. My dad, on the other hand, grew up in his community and has a deep connection to the land and territory.
I spent a year in an exchange program in Mexico. There I decided there were a lot of good things to do and be involved in outside of traditional fields.
CV: What has been your most defining moment to date? BP: A defining moment for me happened in 2009, while I was in the Amazon, Peru for a conference. The day we were scheduled to leave, our flight got cancelled. That same day, we heard reports of a large scale massacre of the indigenous people of the Amazon. The gravity of the situation was insurmountable. Peru’s President at the time, Alan Garcia, had recently declared indigenous elements to be standing in the way of national progress, thus preventing national growth and the use of resources the Amazon had to offer. Naturally, the indigenous groups protested, stating that the laws threatened the integrity of cultural and biological diversity. The resulting bloodshed, as the government sent in police and military to curb the clash, represented a moral failing based on a widely understood truth. Quite by chance, I was able to work alongside media personnel from Peru. It was evident from this experience that the media’s coverage was biased and sided with the government. Media teams were under military curfew and during this period, we met and spoke to many people affected, including some for which warrants had been issued. It was a serious time. It was then I realized the power of simply capturing portraits and this made me decide to take photography more seriously.
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