Mo
Monique Sol Sonoquie
(Chumash, Tongva, Yaqui, Zapotec, Irish).
As a Basketweaver, Documentary Filmmaker, Youth Advocate, Traditional Food and Medicine Gatherer, Educator, Romiromi Practitioner and EarthMother Protector, Monique Sonoquie has embodied many aspects of her rich Cultural heritages into her life and work. She is adaptable to any terrain, inspiration and/or affliction using her Indig-enuity and multi-dimensional knowledge of mind, body and spirit.
Her degrees in Political Science, Teledramatic Arts and Technology, Early Childhood Education and Administration, has prepared her for her work in teaching and developing cultural and educational curriculum. Although she teaches, Monique identifies as a student first and has found herself in the middle of a lifelong journey of gratitude and righteousness. Through her California non-profit, The Indigenous Youth Foundation, Inc., and independently, she provides classroom presentations in the classroom and on the land, such as basketweaving, Sacred Site preservation, and Traditional Medicines, answering the calls of Elders and youth in her communities. From sponsoring Native Family Health Days, to authoring children's books, organizing murals in schools, producing cultural videos and hosting Traditional Healers, Monique embodies the tradition of sharing that is so essentially part of our cultures.
Monique considers herself fortunate to have been offered many workshops and trainings regarding Native health and wellness. She most recently learned directly from the practitioners the Traditional Romiromi Practice of Maori Healing in Aotearoa, hosting her teachers in the Native communities she works in, advocating, practicing and teaching this and other Traditional Native Healing Practices.
As a Basketweaver, she gathers and makes baskets with traditional materials such as tule, Juncus, Hazel and Willow sticks, and more recently with Kelp/Seaweeds. With limited access to gathering sites and materials, due to toxins, land loss and climate change, she has found alternative materials to preserve culture and land. Her new found challenge and exploration is weaving and creating with recycled materials, combining her passions of Traditional weaving and her dedication for “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.” During her fellowship to the Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, Monique explored and represented Traditional lifestyles by reclaiming post industrial waste, and evolving from her recently created electronic cables baskets to life size sculptures.
My Latest Projects
Pre Colonial
Post Industrial Sculptures
Salvaged Cables, Pipes, Bags, Blinds, what ever I find that has potential.
