Why do I make art? To build time capsules for my heritage | Kayla Briët

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

When I was four years old,

當我四歲時，

my dad taught me the Taos Pueblo Hoop Dance,

我爸爸教我陶斯普韋布洛環圈舞，

a traditional dance born hundreds of years ago in Southwestern USA.

是種美國西南部的傳統舞蹈， 有數百年的歷史。

A series of hoops are created out of willow wood,

用柳木製造一系列的環圈，

and they're threaded together to create formations of the natural world,

穿在一起，創造出自然世界的排列，

showing the many beauties of life.

展現人生的許多美麗。

In this dance, you're circling in a constant spin,

在這種舞蹈中，你會持續地旋轉，

mimicking the movement of the Sun

模仿太陽的運轉

and the passage of time.

以及時間的推移。

Watching this dance was magic to me.

這種舞蹈讓我看得非常入迷。

Like with a time capsule,

就像用時間膠囊，

I was taking a look through a cultural window to the past.

我透過一扇文化窗戶看過往。

I felt a deeper connection

我感受到深刻的連結，

to how my ancestors used to look at the world around them.

連結到我的祖先以前如何 看待他們周遭的世界。

Since then, I've always been obsessed with time capsules.

那之後，我就一直 對時間膠囊很著迷。

They take on many forms,

它們有許多形式，

but the common thread is that they're uncontrollably fascinating

但共同點是，對我們人類而言，

to us as human beings,

它們都有著無法控制的迷人，

because they're portals to a memory,

因為它們是通往記憶的入口，

and they hold the important power of keeping stories alive.

具有能讓故事持續的重要力量。

As a filmmaker and composer,

身為電影製作人以及作曲家，

it's been my journey to find my voice,

我的旅程一直是要找到自己的聲音，

reclaim the stories of my heritage and the past

取回關於我的傳承和過去的故事，

and infuse them into music and film time capsules to share.

將它們注入到音樂和電影的 時間膠囊中來分享。

To tell you a bit about how I found my voice,

稍微告訴各位 我如何找到自我的聲音，

I'd like to share a bit about how I grew up.

我想要先分享一些我的成長過程。

In Southern California, I grew up in a multigenerational home,

在南加州，我在一個 多世代的家庭中長大，

meaning I lived under the same roof

意思是和我同住一個屋簷下的

as my parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

有我的父母、姑姨叔伯、及祖父母。

My mother is Dutch-Indonesian and Chinese with immigrant parents,

我媽媽是荷屬印尼和中國血統， 她的父母都是移民，

and my father is Ojibwe

我爸爸是歐及布威族，

and an enrolled tribal member

且被登記為堪薩斯東北的

of the Prairie Band's Potawatomi Tribe in Northeastern Kansas.

草原灣坡塔托米部落的成員。

So one weekend I'd be learning how to fold dumplings,

我會在一個週末學習如何捏餃子，

and the next, I'd be traditional-style dancing

下一個週末又在歡慶會上

at a powwow,

跳傳統舞蹈，

immersed in the powerful sounds of drums and singers.

沉浸在強大的鼓聲和歌聲中。

Being surrounded by many cultures was the norm,

被許多種文化圍繞是很正常的，

but also a very confusing experience.

卻也是讓我很困惑的經歷。

It was really hard for me to find my voice,

我真的很難找到我的聲音，

because I never felt I was enough --

因為我從來不覺得我是足夠的，

never Chinese, Dutch-Indonesian or Native enough.

我從來就不夠中國、 不夠荷屬印尼、不夠原住民。

Because I never felt I was a part of any community,

因為我從來不覺得 我是任何社群的一部份，

I sought to learn the stories of my heritage

我去尋求了解我的傳承的故事，

and connect them together to rediscover my own.

將它們連結在一起， 來重新發現我自己的。

The first medium I felt gave me a voice was music.

第一個讓我感到能 給我聲音的媒介是音樂。

With layers of sounds and multiple instruments,

用聲音的層次和多種樂器，

I could create soundscapes and worlds that were much bigger than my own.

我能創造出遠遠大於自己的 音景以及世界，

Through music, I'm inviting you into a sonic portal

我透過音樂邀請你們 進入一個聲音的入口，

of my memories and emotions,

通往我的記憶和情緒，

and I'm holding up a mirror to yours.

而我拿著一面鏡子來反映你的。

One of my favorite instruments to play is the guzheng zither,

我最喜歡演奏的樂器之一是古箏，

a Chinese harp-like instrument.

很像豎琴的中國樂器。

While the hoop dance is hundreds of years old,

雖然環圈舞有數百年的歷史，

the guzheng has more than 2,000 years of history.

古箏的歷史至少有兩千年。

我演奏的是現今 對我影響很大的風格，

I'm playing the styles that greatly influence me today,

like electronic music,

像電子音樂，

with an instrument that was used to play traditional folk music long ago.

但用的是很久以前 演奏傳統民俗音樂的樂器。

And I noticed an interesting connection:

我注意到一個有趣的連結：

the zither is tuned to the pentatonic scale,

古箏是根據五聲音階來調音的，

a scale that is universally known in so many parts of music

這種音階在全世界 許多音樂中都被普遍使用，

around the world,

including Native American folk songs.

包括美國原住民的民俗歌曲。

In both Chinese and Native folk,

在中國和原住民民俗中，

I sense this inherent sound of longing and holding onto the past,

我都能感覺到一種內在固有的聲音， 在渴望著、緊抓著過去，

an emotion that greatly drives the music I create today.

這種情緒是我現今 音樂創作背後極大的動力。

At the time, I wondered if I could make this feeling of immersion

當時，我在想我是否 能讓這種沉浸的感覺

even more powerful,

再更強大些，

by layering visuals and music --

透過將視覺和音樂層疊起來，

visuals and images on top of the music.

把視覺和影像放在音樂的上面。

So I turned to internet tutorials to learn editing software,

所以我上網找教學資源， 學會使用編輯軟體，

went to community college to save money

為了省錢而上社區大學，

and created films.

並創作電影。

After a few years experimenting,

經過幾年的實驗，

I was 17 and had something I wanted to tell and preserve.

當我十七歲時有了 想說和想要保存的東西。

It started with a question:

它始於一個問題：

What happens when a story is forgotten?

當一個故事被遺忘之後， 會發生什麼事？

I lead with this in my latest documentary film,

我就用這個問題 來引領我最新的紀錄片

"Smoke That Travels,"

「旅行的煙」，

which immerses people into the world of music, song, color and dance,

它讓人們沉浸在音樂、歌曲、 顏色、及跳舞的世界中，

as I explore my fear that a part of my identity, my Native heritage,

我同時在探索我的恐懼，

害怕我部分的身份和原住民傳承

will be forgotten in time.

會在時間長河中被遺忘。

Many indigenous languages are dying due to historically forced assimilation.

許多原住民語言正在消逝中，

原因是歷史中的強迫同化。

From the late 1800s to the early 1970s,

從十九世紀末到 1970 年代初期，

Natives were forced into boarding schools,

原住民被迫進入寄宿學校，

where they were violently punished if they practiced traditional ways

在那裡，他們會受到暴力懲罰，

如果他們使用傳統做法或是說母語，

or spoke their native language,

而傳統做法或母語 大多得靠口頭傳下去。

most of which were orally passed down.

As of now, there are 567 federally recognized tribes in the United States,

到目前為止，美國有 567 個 聯邦承認的部落，

when there used to be countless more.

以前的數目多很多。

In my father's words,

引用我父親的說法：

"Being Native is not about wearing long hair in braids.

「身為原住民的重點 並不是綁長髮辮，

It's not about feathers or beadwork.

也不是羽毛或是珠飾細工，

It's about the way we all center ourselves in the world as human beings."

而是我們身為人類 生活於世界中的樣式。」

After traveling with this film for over a year,

為了這部電影旅行了一年多之後，

I met indigenous people from around the world,

我遇到了來自世界各地的原住民，

from the Ainu of Japan,

有來自日本的阿伊努人、

Sami of Scandinavia,

斯堪的那維亞的薩米人、

the Maori

and many more.

毛利人、

還有許多其他的。

And they were all dealing with the exact same struggle

他們在保存他們的語言和文化上，

to preserve their language and culture.

也都在面對同樣的難處。

At this moment, I not only realize the power storytelling has

此刻，我不只了解到說故事的力量

to connect all of us as human beings

可以把我們人類連結在一起，

but the responsibility that comes with this power.

也了解到這力量所伴隨的責任。

It can become incredibly dangerous when our stories are rewritten or ignored,

如果我們的故事被改寫或是忽略， 可能會變得相當危險，

because when we are denied identity,

因為當我們的身份被否認，

we become invisible.

我們就變成隱形的了。

We're all storytellers.

我們都是說故事的人。

Reclaiming our narratives and just listening to each other's

重新找回我們的故事， 並傾聽彼此的故事，

can create a portal that can transcend time itself.

就能創造一個入口， 能超越時間本身的入口。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）