What a beautiful day in Blackfoot country! Today I went for a walk to the cliffs north of town. The sky was a clear blue and the temperatures warm for March. Even though the Prairie People no longer control this area, you can't help but think of their long history east of the Rockies when you look at the landscape, such as these cliffs which were used as a piskun, or buffalo jump. This particular piskun faces west, which I'm told is unusual (the famous world heritage site, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump near Fort Macleod, faces east), and overlooks the Sheep River, or Ohkotoksiitahtayi, the "Rock River" in Blackfoot. They named the river for the Big Rock, west of the Town of Okotoks, which is still a part of contemporary Blackfoot culture. Below the jump there are flats along the river, which may have been good camping after a successful hunt, with firewood and fresh water near at hand. You can also see the snowcapped Shining Mountains, or the Rockies, gleaming in the west. Unfortunately modern civilization's contribution to this site includes an old sewage lagoon and town disposal site, but even those can be ignored on a day like today.
My sketch for one of two designs for the City of Calgary's street banner projects, to be hung downtown this summer >
These designs echo blanket patterns, using First Nations’ floral and “geometric” imagery to represent the five Treaty 7 nations; the Peoples of the prairie, bushland, and mountains; the land, mountains and sky; and the beauty of our lush Alberta summers.
All I need now is a couple of awkward-sized canvases (57" x 24"). The banners will be 76" x 32" (!)While it's National Flag Day in Canada and Family Day here in Alberta, it's Louis Riel Day in Manitoba, where they celebrate the life and struggle of the great Metis leader on the third Monday in February, since 2007. Riel lobbied for Metis and First Nation representation in Ottawa in the 1800's, and led two armed resistance efforts against the government of Canada when his people were pushed aside in the settling of the west. Sadly, those efforts failed, and the Metis were scattered and dispossessed. Despite this, the Metis Nation is now alive and well in Canada.
Happy Louis Riel Day!
My new business cards have arrived from moo.com. They're printed on the back with images from eight different paintings, on 100% recycled paper.
It's funny how neighbours can know so little about each other. While one of the first things Native people find out about each other is their nation, or tribe, non-natives are sometimes quite unaware of First Nations, of our communities and tribal identities. Even our close neighbours sometimes just know us as "Natives", without realizing the many different cultures that exist within Indian Country. For example, I once heard a longtime area resident refer to our Stoney neighbours in Eden Valley as "Cree", because he thought all Native People in Canada are Cree.
The Cree have one of the largest Indigenous populations in Canada, and live from James Bay to British Columbia, but there are no Cree communities in southern Alberta other than within Calgary's urban population (honestly, Cree people are everywhere, but so are Anishnabe, Dene, Haudenosaunee, Tsalagi, etc.). The Treaty 7 area (southern Alberta) is home to five First Nations: the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Tsuu T'ina and Stoney Nakoda.
The Stoney Nakoda Nation (Siouian speakers) consists of three bands: the Bearspaw, Wesley, and Chiniki, living on three reserves at Morley, Eden Valley and Bighorn. Two other Stoney bands live near Edmonton. The Stoney also call themselves Eyahey Nakoda (Mountain Sioux), and are related to the prairie Nakota (Assiniboine - who live over in Saskatchewan and eastern Montana).
The Tsuu T'ina Nation (formerley known as Sarcee, or Sarsi) are Dene speakers and live immediately west of Calgary. Their closest relatives are the Dunne-za (Beaver) in northern Alberta and B.C.
The Kainai (Blood), Piikani (Northern Peigan) and Siksika (Blackfoot) nations are members of the Blackfoot Confederacy, and share a common language and culture with the Blackfeet Tribe (Southern Peigan) of Montana. Politically, the Blackfoot Confederacy also included the unrelated Tsuu T'ina and Atsina (Gros Ventre). The main Kainaiwa community is at Standoff on the Blood Reserve, the Piikani are at Brocket, and the Siksika live in communities near Gleichen and Cluny.
With that said, natives and non-natives of other nationalities (yes, even Cree) live on southern Alberta reserves, often as guests of Band members. Also, natives and non-natives of all kinds of nationalities live off-reserve in southern Alberta towns and cities, just because.
So where do you live? and how well do you know your neighbours?
This is just a brief introduction to traditional Dene and Metis artwork from Denendeh (N.W.T.), my inspiration for the Et’oah Ło paintings and drawings
Traditional Dene and Metis artwork includes beadwork, quillwork, embroidery, and moosehair tufting, on a variety of material including all manner of cloth and hide clothing, footwear, accessories and household items, including birchbark baskets. Floral designs are most often used, but so are geometric and representational designs. Women are the main artisans, creating beautiful items for friends and family, collectors, and the general marketplace. (continued...)
Twisted moosehair on velvet, by my Grandmother, Madeline Canadien.
The University of Calgary owns a large collection of traditional artwork from my home community of Fort Providence, collected in the 1970's. You can learn more on the history of Dene crafts and view their online collection here.
If you are in the market for these beautiful works of art, every community has some sort of retail outlet for their skilled artisans, whether it be a private enterprise like the Snowshoe Inn Gift Shop in Fort Providence and Winnie's in Enterprise, or my aunt 'Gina's Red Willow Crafts in Hay River or Fort Liard's Acho Dene Native Crafts. Acho Dene Native Crafts also has a website featuring a selection of items, including that community's specialty: birchbark baskets decorated with quillwork.
Down south, Bearclaw Gallery in Edmonton carries a selection of beautiful moosehair tuftings by Corrine Sabourin from Fort Providence. Moosehair tuftings are created by pulling dyed moose hair through material so that it sticks out, and trimming it into the desired mound shape as part of a plush floral design.
The art world recently saw the passing of one of its greats: artist, activist and curator Joane Cardinal-Schubert. She was a role model for many young native people, including myself. I won't forget the support and encouragement she gave me, particularly in the early years during and after my time in art college. It is an honour to have known her, and I know she will be missed by many.
Please read Nancy Tousley's commemorative piece on Joane Cardinal-Schubert in the Calgary Herald.
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