Death of the Female 2014

Kent Monkman’s painting, "Death of the Female", unravels conventional historical narratives through a powerful intersection of sexuality, colonialism, and Indigenous identity. Monkman, a Canadian artist of Cree ancestry, inserts his gender-fluid, two-spirit alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, into historical and contemporary settings, challenging the erasure of Indigenous experiences. In this scene, Miss Chief takes aim, suggesting a disruption of the colonial tableau before us. The imagery of a community grappling with violence is juxtaposed with symbols of cultural imposition—the church, the house—prompting questions about the ongoing effects of colonialism on Indigenous communities. Figures in traditional dress watch, while the contemporary chaos unfolds, asking us to bear witness to the complexities of the present. Monkman uses his art to rewrite history by including Indigenous perspectives. The raw emotion in this painting reminds us of the deeply personal and political work of reclaiming identities and histories.