Amid profound heartache, Marc Papaj is looking to his roots for solace.
A member of the Seneca Nation's Heron Clan, Papaj and his family have long drawn pride from the graceful bird. Since his mother, grandmother and aunt died of COVID-19 in late May and mid-June, he's been drawing strength from images of herons.
"Friends and family have been sending drawings of three herons together," says Papaj, while recently cleaning out his mother's house in Salamanca, New York, on the Allegany Reservation. "Our tribe is matrilineal, so to lose three prominent members who were mothers is such a blow."
Papaj's grandmother, Norma Kennedy, and his mother, Diane Kennedy, both had long careers with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, taking on various roles that ranged from distributing funds to native communities to being a peacemaker judge on a tribal court. Papaj's aunt, Cindy Mohr, was a long-time elementary school teacher.