Gidinatiy Hartman

Dinayetr “Our Breath”: Deg Xinag Language Revitalization

2021 | BFA Thesis Exhibition

Artist Statement

I am Deg Xit'an Athabascan and White. My Native language is Deg Xinag. My artwork is about creating visual representations of the Deg Xinag and other Native languages. My art is centered around a desire to reclaim my family’s Athabascan language, a language skill that was taken from my family due to the prevalence of colonial boarding schools. My artwork is united by a sense of whimsy and wordplay.  For instance, my etching titled Yix Xidina' Yi'idituq, which translates to the Deg Xinag phrase “the house spirits jump up,” is a lively and illustrative image of a girl violently sneezing, startling the house spirits. One example of the wordplay I employ in my art is my print of a dragonfly on a shield.  In Deg Xinag, dragonfly or “Siq’angine” literally means “protect me,” which I have visually represented through the shield on my print. The majority of my artwork is prints and digital art. My overall goal for is to make it easier for people to learn Deg Xinag and other Native languages. Having multiple modes of representation, including visual art, makes language revitalization more accessible to people.

I had the best teachers and I made some really cool friends while I was there.Gidinatiy Hartman '21 BFA: Printmaking

 

What's New

Illustration of a Native Alaskan woman breastfeeding her baby, image courtesy of the artist
Illustration of a Butterfly, matching card, image courtesy of the artist
Illustration of a raven on a matching card, image courtesy of the artist

 

 

 

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Gidinatiy Hartman, courtesy of the artist

ķƵ the Artist

 

Ade' - Hello

Gidinatiy Hartman si’ezre’.  Saint Paul, Minnesota dhisdo. Wasilla xist'anh. Deg Xit’an itlanh. Singonh Angela Hartman vi’ezre’. Sito’ Mike Hartman vi’ezre’. Sitse’ Alice Demientieff vi’ezre’. Sitsiy Rudy Demientieff vi’ezre’.

My name is Gidinatiy Hartman. I live in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I’m from Wasilla, Alaska. I am Deg Xit’an. My mother is Angela Hartman. My father is Mike Hartman. My grandmother is Alice Demientieff. My grandfather is Rudy Demientieff.