To Begin...Establishing a Foundation
The first part of the project involved helping teachers/mentors to create connections between their classroom. their students. local artists, local community Elders visiting the classroom, and connection to the land. Students from each classroom (community) worked as a cohesive group on: creating one or two major paintings; documentation (photographs) of their experiences of being out on the land; tanning hides, cooking, etc.; and learning crafts such basket making . It was important to have teachers/mentors and students to establish a working family-type and friendly relationship through patience, trust, respect, responsibility and sharing.
We already do a yearly calendar which was made up of photos of students, and this was a task that fell to me year-after-year. With this year’s project, I aimed to create a practical item, the calendar, which reflected not only the students' interpretation of themselves (as illustrated above), but with the local communities’ stories and artists would help cement relationships between school leadership, teachers, students, family members, the local community and the land. The purpose was to archive the Elders' stories via video and/or audio documentation and artists’ interpretation of their stories.
Next, the stories were collected in tandem by students and our language teacher Kathleen. Organizing teachers/mentors, students, community members and others in the production process was very involved, especially with the initial interviewing of Elders and equipment and/or software malfunctions. The stories were collected in the Elder’s own language and then translated.
Example of Videos and Artwork:
Elder Ezra Kakekaspan of Fort Severn First Nation talking about the Beaverstone Grave Site area, historical roads and a few people he knew. How he lived in Winisk and moved there, and discussed how a man his father knew (Isaac Stoney) very well lived with 3 women, and how none of his children are alive anymore.
Elder Ezra Kakekaspan of Fort Severn First Nation talking about the Beaverstone Grave Site area, historical roads and a few people he knew. How he lived in Winisk and moved there, and discussed how a man his father knew (Isaac Stoney) very well lived with 3 women, and how none of his children are alive anymore.
Artists, including a mix of students, former students, and other artists who came into the classrooms to illustrate the calendar. The illustrations came from each artist or group of artists listening to one of Elder’s stories and using the story as inspiration for their month’s contribution.
Honouring Elders and Anishinabek Artists: Connecting Art and Traditions
Elder Stanley Thomas of Fort Severn First Nation
Ice-fishing and Polar Bears
Elder, Stanley Thomas talking about fishing, roles people played and about Polar Bears in the area of Fort Severn First Nation.