Corporations Combating Erasure

“What really has been driving me through this project (is) for there to be other Natives in the airport. They'll be like, 'Oh, that's beadwork,’ and really resonate with that and feel a sense of, like, place,” Cliff says with a gentle laugh. “While these are our homelands, I feel like we don't have a sense of place a lot of times.”

--Mona Cliff

Images by: Julie Denesha

Mona Cliff & the MCI Airport

MCI, the Kansas City Airport, was completely renovated as of 2023. While in the process of doing so, MCI recruited 19 local artists to create work for the newly designed airport. Indigenous artist Mona Cliff being one of the nineteen. To the left is her beadwork piece inspired by the Kansas prairie. Having learned the art of beadworking from her grandmother, Cliff notes that "generational knowledge is at the forefront of [her] art practice." Cliff describes her art as focusing on how "traditional arts are passed down between generations of women." This elaborate piece, made on panels of cherry wood, comprised of thousands of beads held together by beeswax, copal resin and pine rosin, is over 17 feet long. The piece can be viewed near Gate B51.

In addition to the beautiful artwork added to the MCI airport, MCI also included a land acknowledgement in the entryway of the airport. The informative graphics and video recognize the historical and ongoing connection of Indigenous communities to the land on which MCI operates.

Wells Fargo & the Working for Generations Project

In 2020, Wells Fargo launched a campaign entitled, "Working for Generations" where they commissioned five different native American artists to design credit/debit cards as a means of celebrating Native American culture across the country. Additionally, Wells Fargo began a "Invest Native" initiative--this campaign follows Wells Fargo completion of their 2017-2022 "$50 million commitment to address American Indian and Alaska Native communities’ unique economic, social and environmental needs." The President of Wells Fargo Foundation, Otis Rolley, noted that the Invest Native initiative aims to "address housing, small business, financial health, and sustainability among Native American communities in Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming."

Image of artist and activist John Trudell

From left to right: Crystal Worl, Steph Littlebird Fogel, Fox Spears, Maya Stewart, Elias Jade Not Afraid

Learn More about the Artists' and their Visions

Companies Deciding to Make a Change

After 87 years, the "Washington Redskins," name was officially retired in 2022. Suzan Harjo, an advocate for the name change, said in an interview with NPR that the "r-word" equated to "emotional and physical violence" against Native Americans. She deemed the name change a "a huge step forward."

Previously known as the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Palisades Tahoe changed their name in light of discovering that the word "squaw" is considered to be "offensive, derogatory, racist, and misogynistic." The Washoe Tribe, whose ancestral land lies on the resort, praised the decision as the original title was a "constant reminder of the unjust treatment of the Native people, of the Washoe people," said Darrel Cruz of the Washoe Tribe Historic Preservation Office in an interview with NPR.

Mutual of Omaha, an insurance company in Nebraska, had a logo depicting a Native American since the 1950s. In 2021 the company decided to change their logo, noting that they desired to be "part of the change." In addition to the changed look, company officials expressed their plans to require more training on diversity and inclusion.