From September 2016 to April 2017 I attended Langara Reconciliation Carving Cohort. This was my online journey- a collection of research, thoughts, feelings, work and anything that would aid me and others to help the next 7 generations.
Friday was the completion of our responsibility in creating, designing, carving, caring for the red cedar panels and the yellow cedar circles.
Since September 2016 when I won a Carving Award to attend Langara's Reconciliation Carving Cohort, 17 brave souls have been learning and carving together from Justin Wilson, Aaron Nelson Moody, Shane Pointe and many other beautiful souls to create these sacred panels.
These sacred pieces were created to honor the children of the Residential Schools who never came home and those Survivors who live with the trauma the rest of their lives and also honor the Missing and Murdered Indigenous women.
This has been a very difficult journey. One I find so hard to put into words.
We had our ceremony yesterday..I had to speak and it was so hard to voice anything of the billions of thoughts racing through my mind. I just told everyone I loved them.
It was such a beautiful ceremony...I cried through nearly all of it.
It is really hard to explain and so I won't try. Garwin Sanford is working on a documentary so we will see how that all goes.
I am going to make a video too but right now I am so exhausted from so much emotion.
"Just know that some people said we shouldn't do this, some thought we couldn't do it, but we have shown everyone we can! "
We have demonstrated that people of all backgrounds and beliefs can come together and work together to try right wrongs. We can acknowledge the terrible truths and we were all witnesses and now we must work with the education systems and all social networks to share the truths and help those who don't know, to understand the evilness of the past (and present) and help those suffering to cope. There is still so much work to be done but this is a baby step in the right direction.
Here's some photos.
Carvings for Reconciliation.
One panel honors the murdered and missing
indigenous women. One panel honors the children who never returned home
from residential school, or who came home forever changed... #mmiw#carving4reconciliation
I will add the names of the artists/carvers to pieces in a bit. Just so you understand the piece. In the center is a design by Aaron Nelson Moody http://splashingeagle.ca/ it is of salmon and all they represent with there struggle to survive and being a life source and life giver. Each of our cohort created a piece to represent themselves. The panel represents all of us. One heart, one mind. Nautsamat!! We are one!
Sacred Panels honoring the Missing Children and Survivors of Residential School
From Wikipedia
Photo Description
English: Beaver "Manda", by Jim Hart, 1995, Canadian Museum of History
Date 21 February 2016
Source Own work
Author D. Gordon E. Robertson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hart_(artist)
Hart was born in Massett, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. His mother, Joan Hart, is the grand-daughter of Charles Edenshaw. His father was European, allowing Hart to escape the Canadian Indian residential school system that many Haida of his time were sent to. Instead, he grew up with his grandparents and became a fisherman.[2]
Hart discovered his passion for Haida art in high school. He began carving seriously in 1979. Hart first apprenticed with Robert Davidson in 1978 to help construct a set of totem poles. From 1980 to 1984 he became an assistant to Bill Reid in Vancouver, who by then was too seriously afflicted with Parkinson's disease to do much of his own carving. He began his work with Reid by putting the finishing details on The Raven and the First Man, a centerpiece of the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, and he also assisted on Reid's Spirit of Haida Gwaii / The Jade Canoe.[2][4]
Hart lives in both Vancouver and Haida Gwaii.[2] In Haida Gwaii, he is known as ˀIdansuu, a hereditary chief name that he received in 1999 after it had earlier been held by Charles Edenshaw.[2][3] As chief he belongs to the Hereditary Chiefs Council of the Haida Nation.[5] He was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 2003.[6] Read more
Langara
College's Aboriginal Community Development class is putting on an
intercultural day to celebrate diversity and bring up the important
topic of reconciliation. The day will include: food, speakers, dancers,
and many different fun activites!
Performers... Emcee: Kat Zucomul’wat Norris DJ: DJ Kookum (Cheyanne Kootenyahoo) Powwow Dancer: Nyla Carpentier Speakers: Audrey Siegl, Patrick Smith, Carla Rose George, Judy Green
More information coming soon! Please RSVP. We hope to see you there.
The other week Shane Pointe asked a favor of us as we gathered in a circle. He asked if we would send loving positive healing thoughts to Beau Dick as he was sick in the hospital.
This morning I heard of his passing.
I didn't know the man. I had seen his carvings many times but didn't even know they were by him.
I knew of the breaking of the copper.
I love the things he says in here about material wealth and timing.
Sending out love, light and my deepest condolences to his family, friends, community and all who knew him and his art. May he rest in peace. May he Rest In Power
From Wikipedia
"Beau was born in Kingcome Inlet, BC, a remote Kwakwaka’wakw village north of Vancouver Island before moving to Vancouver, BC at age 6. From a young age he was heavily influenced by the traditional carving work of both his grandfather and father, with whom he assisted in carving one of the world’s tallest totem poles in Alert Bay, BC. At age 17 he was asked to apprentice under artist Tony Hunt in Victoria, BC. Eventually returning to Vancouver, he continued to hone his carving techniques under the influence of Doug Cranmer." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Dick
On February 10, 2013, Beau performed a traditional copper-cutting ceremony on the steps of the BC Legislature in Victoria in conjunction with a variety of activists, including local members of Idle No More. Having embarked on a 10-day, 500 km walk from Alert Bay to Victoria, the gesture was intended to bring attention to the abuse of Native treaties by the federal government, as well as highlight the negative repercussions of commercial fish farms on Vancouver Island.[7][8]
The ceremony was noted as being the first time such a shaming practice had been used by the Kwakwaka’wakw in decades.[9]
"The copper is a symbol of justice, truth and balance, and to break one is a threat, a challenge and can be an insult. If you break copper on someone and shame them, there should be an apology.”
— Beau Dick
Video that I took at the Raising of the Survivor's Totem Pole on the DTES
Film I took at the Raising of the Survivor's Totem Pole on the DTES
Beau Dick, a Kwakwaka’wakw carver, based in Alert Bay, B.C.
Beau Dick, a Kwakwaka’wakw carver, based in Alert Bay, B.C.
"Beau’s story shifts then, to talk about the Haida of that time, and how
up until the 1860s there were probably 14,000 of them. They would often
travel in large flotillas of canoes to Fort Victoria to trade, passing
through Kwakwaka’wakw waters. After one mass migration, “Dawson told my
great-grandfather to stay away from them when they returned from
Victoria and of course Kakab asked him why. Dawson said they would all
be sick and embarrassedly told him that he knew first hand that the
government he worked for—that James Douglas and the Hudson’s Bay Company
were holding hands, as he described it—and they had a plan to
distribute smallpox-infested blankets amongst the Haida in the hopes
that they would spread this disease to all the other tribes on the coast
on their way home."
First I was just carving little stamps to make Peace Flags for my #PeacePrayerFlagProject
and then it turned it to actual Print Making. I am so grateful to
Aaron Nelson Moody for being such a wonderful instructor and mentor in
teaching me to carve but in the many other lessons I have learned this
year in the Reconciliation Carving Cohort that I attended at Langara.
I had no carving experience when I started and I am very happy with what I have achieve and hopeful for the future.
"It was in 1850 that the wagon train of the Brulé and Poirier families
reached Canada, after they decided to travel north to remain with the
“Crown” rather than stay below the newly decided 49th parallel border
after the Oregon Treaty was signed in 1846.
Ellen, the daughter Mary Ann mentions above, married Joseph Poirier, a
voyageur from Quebec (the man for whom Ecolé Poirier is named) and
raised a large family, in a cabin by the Sooke River and later a home on
Grant Road. http://www.sookenewsmirror.com/community/303481881.html
The Elders Are Watching is a video about the environment, the teachings of the old ones. The poem written by David Bouchard was inspired by a Roy Henry Vickers painting that was given to Queen Elizabeth called, A Meeting Of Chiefs. The book was first published by Eagle Dancer
This message is just as IMPORTANT FOR JUSTIN TRUDEAU and all people as it was for Harper. Please listen carefully.
Published on Youtube May 9, 2012
Oh Great Spirit whose voice I hear in the wind
Whose breathe gives life to the world
Hear me
I come to you as one of many children´s
I´m small and weak, I need your strength and your wisdom
May I walk in beauty
May my eyes ever be hold the red and purple sunset
Make my hands respect the things that you have made
And my ears sharp to hear your voice
Make me wise, so there I may know the teachings you have for your children´s
The lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock
MAKE ME STRONG , not to be superior to my brothers and sisters
But to fight my greatest enemy My self
Make ever ready to come to you with straight eyes
So when life is as a sunset, my spirit will come to you
Without shame
Well today was a very big day. We started carving the Red Cedar Panels. These panels honor the all the Children and Survivors of the residential schools and the Missing Murdered Indigenous Women.
I pause as I write, writing isn't my strong point and I want to do this right.
First we want to honor the Musqueam Nation whose land Langara is situated and who has been named.
Posted on the website
"Located
in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada, Langara College started in 1965 as
part of Vancouver City College and in 1970, it opened its West 49th
Avenue campus. On April 1, 1994, Langara College was established as an
independent public college under the Provincial College and Institute
Act.
The College is also known as house of teachings, a name given to us by the Musqueam First Nation, on whose unceded traditional territory we are located.
Today, Langara is one of BC's leading
undergraduate institutions providing University Studies, Career Studies,
and Continuing Studies programs and courses to more than 21,000
students annually."
So if you have been following this blog you will know that it has been a very emotional process to say the least but it's been profoundly enlightening in so many ways and I have learned a great deal of knowledge about carving from the SUPER AWESOME teacher and carver Aaron Nelson Moody.
Shane Pointe - has been our knowledge keeper (elder*/uncle/wise one) helping to guide us down the right path and keep us in focused, spiritually & mentally with his beautiful chants and lovely powerful words of wisdom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i8XL54pf0A
Aaron Nelson Moody
also known a Splash http://splashingeagle.ca/ has also shared beautiful truths and stories that have helped enlighten and guide and keep us strong when the going got really tough.
It's been tough, believe me.
Dr. Justin Wilson
I must not leave out Justin Wilson. Dear Justin, so kind and wanting to do things right and we are on the same path I believe...he's coming at it from the academic side and trying to bring these very important teachings into what has been historically a violent place for so many Indigenous people.
I am from the outside...so annoyed with what the academic world did to my life and is doing to my child's...the good, the bad and the ugly...but I digress and want to keep this positive.
We started!! Hurray.
I was so nervous. I was worried we wouldn't be able to carve the panels, that we either couldn't do a good job or that we wouldn't finish. But we started and just watching and doing a little bit, I was empowered. I am sure it's all the women, all the children, all Shane's beautiful chants and wise words. He told us they would help us. He called them and asked them and I can feel them. I am so grateful. I get all teary writing this....
I am not worried now. We are going to do a great job. I am so looking forward to the next few weeks to see the progress. I am sad that in a few weeks it will be over.
Sad that this very special journey...our canoe trip will be over...we will have arrived at our destination. I just hope everyone is there to meet us.
We worked hard for this. So hard...so many of you will never know or understand because you had to be there and traverse all those strong currents, huge waves and storms together along with all the beautiful calms and peaceful moments.
So here are just a few photos. I made some video but have to re-edit and get permission from everyone.
Take care everyone, send us your love and light. We still have a bit of the journey to do, we need your love too!!
*Shane Pointe explained to us early on that he dislikes the name "elder" and so we have chosen other names...many call him "uncle" some "knowledge keeper" I like to refer to him as the "wise one"
