[Dare Turner] My name is Dare Turner, I'm a member of the Yurok Tribe of California, and I am a Curator of Indigenous Art, and the Co-Curator of the Preoccupied project. The details on this bird are really interesting. We see that it has earrings, that it has these different adornments around its head. We see these details at the bottom of its wings, that give us a sense of the bird being in flight with its tail soaring behind it. And this would have been worn on someone's chest. So this would have been a really strong symbol of that person's wealth and their value. I'm drawn to these bird pendants because birds were incredibly valued in my culture, but they were valued in a way that's very distinct from the representation of birds here. Birds are, you know, in a way, sort of magical creatures in that they can operate between many worlds: they can dive into the water, they can walk on Earth, and they can go up and be close to the sun. In the case of these birds, the gold is emulating the sun. But in the case of my people, we see birds as symbols of wealth because their beauty is their wealth, and they offer their beauty to humans, as a gift. And so, in my people's culture, bird feathers are used in all of our most important regalia. These birds have given up their lives for us to honor them. And I think about it when I see pictures of my mother wearing regalia, that my great grandmother made for the family. And my mother is wearing a cap that has these feathers on top of it. So, it's a way for people to elevate the lives of these animals that have sacrificed their life to make humans’ lives better.

[Dare Turner] When I look at these birds, I think about them in flight. And I think about the way flying birds are considered and understood by my people and my family. My grandfather fought in World War II, and he trained pilots. He was a very skilled pilot himself and trained many dozen pilots to go off and fight in the war. And, when he first arrived, and went through boot camp, he understood that he was going to become a pilot, he went home for a few weeks to be with family before he was shipped out. And when he was at home, his family learned of this new plan of him being a pilot and were completely fearful that he would die. So his grandfather went out into the forest for three days, and fasted and prayed. And when he came back, he came back with nesting material from a specific type of bird that the Yurok people feel is the best flier in all of the bird kingdom. And he created a pouch for my grandfather to wear on his chest, just like this pendant would have been worn: a deerskin pouch with the nesting materials in it and the feathers from this particular bird. And, my grandfather would never leave the ground without it. He was told by his family, “This is what's going to keep you safe. This is going to keep your entire squadron safe.” And his squadron was one of the only ones that never had any casualties. And all the people in his squadron would make sure before they set out that he had his pendant on his chest, and was going to keep them all safe.