By A. Davis
Artistry and pride combine together in the work of Shane Lara, Natchitoches Tribal member and poet, who is representing a new generation of Indigenous artists through poetry, spoken word, and artistic design. Lara is truly a man made of words bringing forth stories and feelings of his people, their history, identity, and the power of belonging to community. Stories that not only captivate and educate but also serve as a healing balm, other wise known as “good medicine” by Indigenous peoples, to bring hope and love into a very fractured world.
Born and raised in California, Lara’s journey into his artistic craft reflects the journey of his family and his people, the Natchitoches Tribe. It is a journey born out of a longing for connection, the pain of diaspora and forced removals in the 1830s and later in the 1930s. It is a story about those families who stayed in Louisiana trying to maintain their heritage and community, and those who left for California hoping to find a life unshackled from the racism of the time. Lara’s poetry speaks to what many Native Americans have faced for generations, and through his poetry one finds hope, strength, solace, and a way to speak to that longing and desire to be whole. Identity and history are central themes in Lara’s work, and he speaks of the importance of belonging and mattering. For Lara, the connection to his Tribal community is very important, particularly because the Natchitoches people avoided the American Indian Removal Act, refused removal to Oklahoma (Indian Territory) and stayed in Louisiana, enduring the harsh racial segregation of the time. For this new generation of Indigenous artist, these poems and stories are about reconnection, returning, restoring, and building resistance to erasure. They contain powerful messages about just how strong the will to survive and endure is for Indigenous people.
Lara has competed nationally in poetry slams and has received honors and awards for his artistic talents. “The Native community really loves the pieces I write, and many have stepped in to nurture my gifts saying that my words are good medicine,” he said.
Reflecting on his development as an artist, Shane Lara stated, “In the poetry community my work is very respected and I’ve had the honor to work with Poet Laureates like Bryan Medina, Joseph Rios, and the newly chosen California poet Laureate Lee Herrick. All of these poets have praised my style of writing and performing. Sometimes though, there is a disconnect being Native and speaking on Native issues within slam poetry.”
The disconnect, as Lara puts it, is because many people in the general public lack awareness of the issues facing Indigenous people.
Lara’s introduction to poetry and rap began at an early age. “As a kid I always had a fascination with words,” he shared. “This enjoyment didn’t fully manifest until I was in middle school, in class we were always messing around until one of the people at our table wanted to rap just for fun and I joined in. The way I spit rhymes made people laugh and got me some popularity. To maintain that I decided to try and build my skills in Hip-Hop by learning the history of the genre. With this new knowledge I began rap battling people throughout my middle school and even high-school years. I sometimes got in trouble for the rap battles because I drew large crowds, and they feared a fight could start.”
Luckily for Lara, these battles of words and talent did not result in any harm. Instead, Lara’s unique abilities captivated the attention of many including his wife and committed faculty members at the local community college in Fresno, California, such as faculty member Kristen Norton who ran the creative writing club. It was through Norton’s encouragement that Lara entered into a poetry slam in Visalia, California which would prove to be fateful in charting his path to success.
“I didn’t want to go at first because I only saw myself as a battle rapper and I had a very stereotypical view of what slam poetry was,” he said. “I went to the venue with my wife not knowing anyone but after two rounds competing with 10 other people, I ended up winning fir place becoming the first Native American grand slam champion of Visalia and the team captain.”
Through it all, Lara learned that he has a talent for words, imagery, and testifying to an experience of a people who have endured prejudice and injustice. As a true Indigenous artist, the focus of his spoken word poetry is to bring back the sacredness of words, and in so doing, to bring back the sacred journey of Indigenous people claiming their histories and identities after generations of erasure. Much of Lara’s motivation and inspiration come from his own lived experience, and the historical experiences of many Natchitoches members who are part of the Tribe’s history, particularly those who are part of the Tribe’s diaspora to California. Lara does not wish to hold on to generational anger for the historical wrongs that have occurred. Instead, he channels that anger and passion for justice into the love he holds for Indigenous peoples and the land that he calls our “American continent.” This love extends particularly to his wife’s Yaqui Tribe and the Natchitoches Tribe who welcomed him back to Natchitoches, Louisiana.
For Shane Lara, the return visit to the Natchitoches Tribe was a pivotal life-changing moment. He felt welcomed back into kinship with family and cousins he met for the first time. The warm welcome back was something he had never experienced before , “For someone to welcome a stranger into their home they’ve never met in person and consider him a son changed the way I viewed the world and the way I wrote my spoken word poetry. It’s inspired me to be kind to others and to care about something other than myself.”
Caring for others continues to be a central part of Lara’s work as he continues to give back to community and build kinship across Indian Country. He has recently finished a new book for children ages 8-10 years old called “Good Medicine”, which focuses on the experiences of children living under the covid-19 pandemic. In addition, Lara plans to attend university and seek advanced degrees focusing on Indigenous studies and Indigenous rights. Healing is a central focus in the work of this Indigenous artist. It is about finding one’s voice, returning home, and building life anew for oneself and for others. Shane Lara is truly a man made of words, who is sharing his good medicine with us all.
