Indigenous Women’s Prison Initiative
The IWPI collectively empowers Indigenous women in the carceral system by providing cultural and spiritual programming and elevating their voices through multimodal storytelling. This includes prayer, songs, talking circles, and mixed media projects. This work is guided by the incarcerated women and centered on their vision of community healing.
On going since 2019, IWPI creates cultural and spiritual programming which entails building and assisting with sweat lodges on three yards in Perryville women’s prison, facilitating talking circles, sharing songs, and bringing in supplies for cultural arts.
Your support makes this program possible.
WIPI is a fiscally sponsored project by Weaving Worlds Inc.
This work cultivates a sense of community, connection with one’s culture, encourages sobriety, facilitates industriousness, and focuses on holistic wellbeing.
Additionally, IWPI helps the women incarcerated in Perryville to explore, develop, and foster the art of storytelling and community healing.
We have found that sharing stories can be a protective factor aiding in resilience and betterment. Through our work, we know that oral expression is paramount to cultural preservation, positive interpersonal dynamics, and fostering self-esteem.
This curriculum is also centered on skill building to lead to certification. Certifications greatly assist women when they are granted a release hearing; some yards have very few certification programs so this would add to their opportunities.
Art as a means of empowerment and a therapeutic outlet.
All photos by Diane Ovalle, A Good Relative
It is not only those incarcerated who are affected but also the community beyond the prison walls. Created by artists and community members impacted by the carceral system “Freedom Work,” is a creative program of IWPI that entails photographic and mixed media archiving and community showings of justice work in the carceral system.
Freedom Work assists in creating community compassion and awareness of the experience of people and families impacted by the carceral system.
Freedom work
Art as a means of empowerment And therapeutic outlet
get involved
Your support provides:
- Compensation to people’s time to carry out this program
- Pens, notepads, & art supplies
- Appropriate equipment and software for a community archive and continued cultural programming.
This program was created in response to a heartfelt call from the incarcerated women of Perryville prison and their families. It operates solely from the donations, and the iron will of determination from the WIPI community members.
