Virtual Reality & Indigenous Lifeways

DINÉ/NAVAJO WOMEN LED WORKSHOP SOLD OUT’ AT REALITY HACK

January 24, 2024 | Cambridge,MA— Indigenous Lifeways and Glittering World Girl presented during Reality Hack at MIT Campus for their Advanced Design curriculum their workshop titled; Social Impact & Economic Equality Through XR: Empathetic Storytelling, Social Impact Guidesheet and Blender 3D Made Easy Tutorial left not an empty seat in the house. This workshop aimed to explore social impact and innovative economic shifts through XR technology, including the incorporation of empathic storytelling and an introduction into Blender 3D. After attending this workshop, participants walked away with new ideas of how XR technology can help make the world a better place. Participants engaged in conversation, demonstrations and reflective activities to gain a deeper understanding of how you can use XR as a tool for empathic social impact and economic equality.

Indigenous Lifeways is a Diné women led non-profit based in Gallup, New Mexico and is currently working to revitalize and preserve traditional land based practices and native languages while utilizing art as a tool for healing and social justice. Indigenous Lifeways is also participating as a Reality Shaker during the event which is an invitation-only dynamic gathering of change-makers at the 2024 Reality Hack at MIT, dedicated to creating honest and transformative pathways for systems change. This new space enables participants to collaboratively design solutions for impactful, sustainable progress.

“It is crucial for young content creators to act on their passions, speak truth within their art and express issues their communities are currently facing. By using the Empathic Social Impact framework combined with XR, we can ultimately create meaningful content with positive societal change. It is crucial that BIPOC XR creators are included in convenings such as Reality Hack whom have intentional goals of inclusion, connection and creating purposeful content. We have a solid chance to ensure this medium is inclusive of all voices and has equitable representation. ” -Krystal Curley, Indigenous Lifeways

Akilah Martinez (Glittering World Girl) is a Diné women-owned multimedia company with expertise on incorporating Navajo language and culture revitalization in XR technology, video production and social media marketing and is based in New Mexico. Akilah was recently awarded the 2024 New Mexico Women In Tech Emerging Leader Award, presented by the New Mexico Technology Council.

“The 2024 Reality Hack invited Indigenous Lifeways and I (Glittering World Girl) to present a workshop titled ‘Social Impact and Economic Equality Through XR.’ Since 2019, I’ve traveled between NYC and LA to learn from leading POC XR technologists, social entrepreneurs and impact investors about how we can use XR technology to create ownership of storytelling while also creating sustainable economic ecosystems using the medium of XR. For me, I include language and culture revitalization into this conversation.”

-Akilah Martinez, Glittering World Girl

Indigenous Lifeways and Glittering World Girl commends Reality Hack organizers for including the original storytellers of Western Hemisphere as presenters within their Advance Design Curriculum. We are wishing all Hackers best of luck in creating impact content for societal change while utilizing empathic social impact tools.

For more information about MIT Reality Hack visit https://www.mitrealityhack.com.

VR Headset Delivery

April 5th, 2024 | GALLUP & ZUNI, NM - Virtual World Society and Agog donated a total of (4) MetaQuest Headsets to Indigenous Lifeways with the intent to increase access to VR Technology in McKinley County. We love to spread the wealth and we donated headsets to local libraries in McKinley County. We had the opportunity to travel to A:shiwi Territories (Zuni, NM) to deliver a headset to the Zuni Public Library. Their Children’s Librarian, Valarie Bellson, greeted us with open arms and we were pleased to know this is the first headset they have received. Zuni Public Library is 1 of 22 Tribal Libraries in New Mexico. They intend to collaborate with other Zuni Departments and programs such as; their Museum and Archives Department and Tribal Library Department. They are extremely excited about exposing youth and families to new technologies.

It must have been in the stars to deliver a MetaQuest 2 during Game Night at Octavia Fellin Children’s Library in Gallup, NM. To encourage mindfulness and mediation, the VR headset will also be utilized in their upcoming Zen Room. This is also the first VR Headset for the library. We are looking forward to hearing updates about how the VR headset will be utilized this year.

As for Indigenous Lifeways, we have (2) MetaQuest 2 headset that will be available during our events. Our goal is to exhibit XR technology as a new way of immersive storytelling, encourage XR Tech Career Paths for youth, and ultimately uplift XR technology as a healing tool.