"Dancing Between Two Worlds"

"I first photographed the Kashaya Pomo dance group "Su Nu Nu Shinal" in 2013 when they performed publicly at Fort Ross State Historic Park. I shared some of the photos with the dancers, and they invited me to photograph their annual meeting of several local tribes called "Big Time."

- By Paul C. Miller

The idea of the portrait series "Dancing Between Two Worlds" came to me when I approached one of the dancers, Lamont. His face was shrouded by the orange feathers of his headdress, and he told me that tradition prohibits him from speaking behind the mask, for he was no longer Lamont, but a conduit of his ancestors. I came to understand that the ancient rituals of song and dance were a way of taking each dancer out of their modern lives and connecting with their ancestors and Native culture.

The diptych images reveal the sharp contrast between the dual identities of each dancer.

One Native American family from Northern California strives to sustain their Kashaya Pomo language and culture through song and dance. | Photography and interviews by Paul C. Miller

In this portrait series, I have photographed eleven members of the dance group Su Nu Nu Shinal in traditional Kashaya Pomo regalia and their modern attire. Each dancer shares their struggle to balance their Native ancestral traditions with their modern American life. Combining the two opposing images reveals the stark contrast of their dual identities. Billyrene Pinola and her cousin Colleen McCloud started the family dance group in 1993, naming it "Su Nu Nu Shinal," which in Kashaya translates to "Huckleberry Heights," the name of their reservation at Stewarts Point Rancheria in Northern California.

Today, the group is led by Billyrene and her husband, Lester. For them, the dancing and singing is essential to preserve their Native language and culture, as fewer tribal members engage in Kashaya ceremonies. Billyrene explains: