S8, E3 Part 1: ”Paper Cuts” with Native Comic Book Artist, Jim Terry (Ho-Chunk)

"Don’t forget what was sacrificed. And keep fighting in the ways you can. You are still occupied. You are still here. You are born of real survivors. So go live.”
These are the powerful words from my guest, comic book artist Jim Terry (Ho-Chunk), in his book “Paper Cut”.

I really enjoyed this casual conversation with Jim, who lives not far from me in Chicago. He opened my eyes to the history and presence of the Ho-Chunk people — “people of the big voice.” You might also know them by the name once given to them: Winnebago.
And by the way — did you know “Chicago” (or chicagoua) most likely comes from the Algonquin word for onions… or maybe even garlic?

Jim and I also talked about his life as a freelance artist, the funny (and sometimes awkward) conversations between Native and non-Native people, and the deeper, more personal themes behind his book “Come Home, Indio”. In it, he opens up about feelings of not belonging and a lifelong journey toward making peace (or something like it) with the treatment of our Native American ancestors.

We also touched on the story of Edward E. Ayer — a lumber baron who, in 1911, donated 17,000 Native American manuscripts, photos, and artifacts to the Newberry Library. Today, that collection has grown to over 130,000 volumes. (Some of those items also found a home at Chicago’s Field Museum.) 

Jim was honored to be commissioned by the Newberry Library for their Indigenous Chicago program, creating artwork inspired by those thousands of historical documents.

Purchase your copy of the “Paper Cuts” comic book here:  https://bookshop.newberry.org/paper-cuts 

And check out Jim’s website here: https://www.woundedbutdangerous.com/ 

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