Royal Ontario Museum – Late Blooms

Today Canada is the most multi-cultural country in the world, and the home of immigrants of every ethnic and religious group from every country in the world. But less than 500 years ago, the only people living in Canada were the Aboriginal people of Canada. "Aboriginal" means the original inhabitants, the people who were here first. The words "Native" or "Indigenous" are also used, and mean the same thing. Today they all collectively refer to themselves as the First Nations or First Peoples of Canada. However, there are many different cultural groups. — “Today Canada is the most multicultural country in the world, and the home of immigrants of every ethnic and religious group from every country in the world. But less than 500 years ago, the only people living in Canada were the Aboriginal people of Canada. “Aboriginal” means the original inhabitants, the people who were here first. The words “Native” or “Indigenous” are also used, and mean the same thing. Today they all collectively refer to themselves as the First Nations or First Peoples of Canada. However, there are many different cultural groups.” (First Nations Website)

All the collages in this post were taken at the Royal Ontario Museum. They have a fine “First Nations” gallery. As another Canada Day comes around and we’re caught up in celebrating this great nation, it’s a good time to remember who were the first people to arrive here.

We have great respect for European, Egyptian, and other Old World cultures and the same respect ought to be accorded to Canada’s first settlers. Their art, artifacts, and other important aspects of their heritage must be cherished. The First Nations themselves have great respect for Nature and the land and we can learn many lessons about life from them. I look forward to the day when First Nations people will be represented at all levels of political and civic life across Canada. It is my hope that these images and this post contribute, in some small way, to an appreciation of our “First Nations.”

Norval Morrisseau, by the way, is a First Nations artist, and his work “Migration” depicts how they may have travelled to Canada (above collage – lower right hand corner). Here is the rest of what he had to say: “Perhaps they came across the Bering Strait gradually in single family groups. There are legends about a migration in single and family groups; this is the picture which recalls this legend.” This tells us that family is very important to them.

"With a lot of my work, I try to create this dialogue between the settler culture and First Nations culture because we've been living together for hundreds of years now and we've been exchanging ideas and our cultures have been influencing each other. When I look at the art history...there's not much evidence of that because the art history as told and perpetuated in our museums is still very one sided." --Kent Monkman, mixed media artist — “With a lot of my work, I try to create this dialogue between the settler culture and First Nations culture because we’ve been living together for hundreds of years now and we’ve been exchanging ideas and our cultures have been influencing each other. When I look at the art history…there’s not much evidence of that because the art history as told and perpetuated in our museums is still very one sided.”
–Kent Monkman, mixed media artist

Kent Monkman’s work is not in the above collage but his quote is very interesting. We are all interdependent and are always influencing and being influenced by other cultures for better or worse. He is a First Nations artist of Cree and Irish ancestry and lives in Toronto. You can check his work out on the internet. It is impressive.

I like all First Nations art and am happy to see that the Royal Ontario Museum has added Jane Ash Poitras to their First Nations Gallery. She is a Canadian of Cree descent and is a painter and printmaker. This is what she has to say about her work: …each blank canvas is an invitation to a journey of discovery. I may begin with an idea of what the final destination—the completed painting—may be, but I’m always open to the unexpected. As Carl Beam said, the art of placement is a spiritual act. Each step in the creative process may reveal unexpected choices that require decisions. The final decision for each piece is to know when it is resolved, when it is finished. — Jane Ash Poitras (Wiki) You can see from her work what contemporary First Nations art is all about. I think she’s a very gifted artist.

The next collage includes Canada’s flag with it’s signature colors of red and white and the maple leaf. That image is from a book called “Canada Day.”

Happy Canada Day everyone!

The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,
the freshness of the morning,
the dew drop on the flower,
speaks to me.

The strength of fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
And the life that never goes away,
They speak to me.
And my heart soars.

“Chief Dan George, OC (July 24, 1899 – September 23, 1981) was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band whose Indian reserve is located on Burrard Inlet in the southeast area of the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was also an author, poet, and an Academy Award-nominated actor. His best-known written work was “My Heart Soars”. (Wikipedia)

All references – Internet based.

Tag: Royal Ontario Museum

Canada Day Reflections

My Heart Soars

By Chief Dan George