This Land Is Your Land, from the portfolio A Ragbox of Overstood Grammars

One Book One Northwestern, 2024–25

This artwork was selected in response to themes in Northwestern’s community-wide reading of The Night Watchman (2020) by Louise Erdrich.

In bold red letters, the word "stolen" visually interrupts the title of Woody Guthrie’s 1940 folk song, "This Land Is Your Land." With its lyrics praising the natural beauty of the land comprising the United States, Guthrie’s song can certainly be considered patriotic. However, Guthrie embeds sarcastic critiques in his lyrics, in particular as he sings about ignoring a "Private Property" sign while wandering across the country.

Wang picks up on Guthrie’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics with his insertion of the word "stolen." Through this intervention, Wang reframes the song’s title, invoking the forced displacement of Native Americans to contest the mythology of nation-building in the US By printing this work on sticker paper, which lends itself to quick, guerrilla-style distribution, Wang underscores the accessible, democratic potential of printmaking, a potential not unlike the communicative power held by songwriters like Guthrie.

In her novel The Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich tells of Native Americans’ continued fight against land theft. During a meeting with representatives of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa named Eddy Mink suggests that "the services that the government provides to Indians might be likened to rent. The rent for use of the entire country of the United States." Mink’s comment reframes his tribe’s right to services provided under the reservation system as the least that they are owed for the long, ongoing history of displacement they have faced.

We are happy to provide a shareable pdf booklet and downloadable images for teaching and engagement. You can schedule a class visit to discuss these works in person in our study center by contacting Essi Rönkkö at essi.ronkko@northwestern.edu.