Skawennati Tricia Fragnito: A Mohawk Visionary Transforming Tech and Art
- Brianna
- Jul 12
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 31
What if I told you there’s a Mohawk woman who’s literally rewriting the future on and off-screen using technology and storytelling? Meet Skawennati Tricia Fragnito, an Indigenous tech pioneer whose work is rewriting not just how we see the digital realm, but who inhabits it.
Who Is Skawennati?
Born Tricia Fragnito in Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory, Montreal-based... Skawennati is a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist and cultural leader. She’s been trailblazing since the mid‑1990s right as the internet was exploding by creating machinimas (films made in virtual worlds), digital sculptures, performances and futuristic storytelling.
How She’s Redefining Technology
CyberPowWow (1997–2004): One of the first Indigenous-language chat-spaces online, created with her collective to make cyberspace a place for Native voices.
TimeTraveller™ & Imagining Indians in the 25th Century: Award-winning machinima series blending Haudenosaunee history with cyberpunk futures showing Indigenous people thriving in digital worlds.
Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace: Co‑founded at Concordia University, AbTeC mentors Indigenous youth to make games, digital art and more ensuring future generations shape their tech worlds
Why It Matters
Skawennati’s work is about authority, identity and visibility, celebrated in collections at the National Gallery of Canada and honored with prestigious grants and fellowships including Smithsonian and Eiteljorg award. She also joined the Rhizome board, further amplifying Indigenous presence in digital art spaces Rhizome. Her machinimas imagine futures where Indigenous peoples are not passive survivors they’re protagonists, creators and leaders shaping cultures yet to come.
Why This Inspires Me (and Could Inspire You!)
Skawennati’s journey shows that technology isn’t neutral it reflects who builds it. By carving out space for Indigenous stories in virtual realms, she reminds us that we belong there, too. Imagine if this kind of innovation came from more girls especially those who might miss school due to period poverty. How many future engineers, coders, and game designers are sitting on ideas we’ll never see?
This is why I care about ending period poverty. When all girls have dignity, tools, and access like menstrual products and education they show up. They invent. They create.
Skawennati didn’t wait for permission she built new worlds herself. Let’s help more girls build their own. Because our futures belong to those who imagine them.
Comments