Joshua is a Nīs-Awāētok Menomini Wāēsēhon-naehēhtaw (Two-Spirit Menominee Artist). Their traditional name is Wāpananah enoh Kēsoq Anāh. Which means ‘The MorningStar and Moon Star’. Wāpananah has been an artist and healer their whole life, practicing traditional Menomini & indigenous healing and spirituality. Through their art Wāpananah creates beautiful pieces that reflect their indigenous ancestry, culture, & spiritual connection.
They attended Milwaukee High School of the Arts and graduated with a diploma in Visual Arts. Then went on to study several other subjects before settling on attending a design school (2009-2012) majoring in Fashion Design. Throughout their time in design school they noticed no Native representation, and made their senior collection based on the stories & spirits of their tribe. These stories were mostly passed down from their Great Grandmother (Flag Woman) at a very early age before she joined our ancestors in Skyworld.
Wāpananah has a strong connection to the women of their family… their mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were all strong women & artists who shaped and impacted the way Joshua looked at the world. Kenēw Nōwaeqnaen or ‘Golden Eagle Wind’ (Joshua’s mother) was a huge part of their journey as an artist and remains one of their greatest sources of inspiration. BitterSweet (Joshua’s grandmother) was a woman of action and hard work, quick to take an idea and get it done! This shaped their “I can create anything” spirit/mindset. A descendant of Chief Waukechon, Wāpananah enoh Kēsoq Anāh looks to remind indigenous peoples of our powerful origins and empower our community’s youth to reach new heights. Joshua has had artwork on display at the Maidu Museum and Historic Site for an MMIW/R exhibition called ‘Remember the Promise’ and was a finalist for an art installation with the Milwaukee Public Museum’s new museum plan. Wāpananah continues to paint, design, sculpt, and create art & fashion in hopes of bringing greater visibility to our peoples and open galleries.
