“I was pretty much born an artist, but I feel like I didn’t really start coming into my own,” said Sana Sana, a local visual and hip hop artist “until I dedicated my art to saying something that was meaningful to the people and for the land.”
He does not believe art and activism are independent of one another. He goes by Sana, which is Spanish for heal as his chosen name because of the song mothers from his community sing to their kids when they get hurt, sana sana colita de rana.
Originally from Milwaukee, Sana Sana came to Reno about fifteen years ago. His artwork is based in illustration, having worked as a tattoo artist for fifteen years. As the pandemic wore on, he chose to leave a local shop. It was an opportunity to break out on his own and focus more on his work and be selective about whom he tattoos.
Sana Sana draws heavily on his ancestry for not just inspiration but also to live up to who he is. His family goes back to the people of central Mexico where he says poetry is the highest form of expression. “When something moves me to say something, that’s when I create,” he said “that can be either an illustration or it can be a song.” His mother’s side is Coahuilteca, an Indigenous group from southern Texas and his father’s side is Purépecha, a group of people living in Michoacán, located in central Mexico.
Sana Sana prefers pen and ink as a medium. He enjoys the accessibility it offers. These two pieces highlight how he draws inspiration from the land and his Indigenous roots.
One of his current pursuits is working with kids and teaching them art, everything from drawing to poetry. He feels this is a great way for kids to handle the realities of life, especially during a pandemic. It can become he says a positive outlet for frustrations and anger and sadness. “A lot of kids are really resilient and they’re dealing with real things, they just need a way to use their voice in a way that doesn’t give them negative consequences,” he said.
Another outlet for Sana Sana is his hip hop. He always wanted to put his words to music but without a background in music, struggled to make it happen. So when a friend asked him to be in a musical, Sana Sana thought, why not? The musical gave him a taste of not just performance but memorization and “eventually it just clicked, the timing clicked,” he said “I can’t wait till this is done so I can start writing my own music,” he said.
And that is just what he did and the hip hop duo Niño Santo was born. Not a fan of abstract art, he feels like art should be clear and make a statement. That much is true in some of his lyrics. He feels having a platform to speak obligates him to say something important and his activism drives him to produce compelling songs and lyrics that turn people’s attention to issues that need to be addressed.
A Soundcloud track which can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/ninosantomusic/sana-sana-freestyle-pbnj-radio-show
“My life isn’t safe as it is, being an Indigenous person,” Sana Sana explained “it’s not safe just existing, our existence is resistance.” He spoke to the struggles Indigenous and people of color face in today’s society being a driving force for his lyrics.
“I’m not trying to call out anybody,” he said “but I’m here to call out people’s structures that we have internally that make us not be the best human beans we can be.”
He also draws a lot from his readings. He looks to books for inspiration and to place himself in the context of others’ struggles in order to better understand the situation in today’s society. His hip hop group, composed of himself and his brother, Rubevelli, recently released an album. One of the videos goes where no other hip hop video has gone before, showing Sana Sana and others planting a small seedling in a wildfire burn area.
“It’s an opportunity to tell a story,” Sana explained about the video “and we wanted to be honest.” He says he does not like to tell stories that are not real to him, drawing inspiration from his community and the elders whom he seeks advice from. He does not portray a reality that is not true to his own but instead links himself and the community to the land. He also wants to draw attention to climate change. “These fires are a real reality that I want to draw attention to,” he said.
“I never want to get people pissed off without making them feel empowered,” Sana Sana explained. He elaborated by saying that people have the ability to be the problem a lot of the time, but notably, they have the power to be part of the solution, he said he “really wanted to paint that picture” with the music video.
Sana Sana has directed much of his activism toward local issues. He has been helping Beverly and Autumn Harry, a Navajo and Paiute Indigenous mother and daughter duo, clean up trash along the river and feed the houseless community. “When I lean towards social movements, I always can’t help but think of the land first,” he said.
He understands the importance of social justice issues and draws racism together with the environment through the idea of dehumanization. He says that people need to improve their relationship with the land and water in order to move past the racism of today’s society.
“My approach is always calling truth; always speaking the truth,” he said “and if I’m wrong, to admit I am wrong, because I am human and go from there.” He wants people to be accountable for themselves, to get their hands dirty, to get out there and meet people. He believes everybody has the power to be an activist and encourages everyone to become one through lifestyle changes.
“I hope that the community of Reno can take the time to really understand what it’s like to be somebody else,” Sana Sana said “I feel that people inside our society have this way that they lean into just thinking about themselves.” He encourages people to try and step back and really see situations outside of themselves. “I really challenge everybody inside our community” he said “if you see a houseless person, instead of judging them, talk to that person.”
Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno