First Nations Friday - Art work for the Wall

Last week I shared with you art work that you can drink from, this time I will go more traditional and show you what we bought for our walls when we visited Whetung Ojibwe Arts and Crafts Gallery.

The Healer by David Johnson.  I had to borrow this photo from the Whetung website as I was unable to capture a nice photo of my print.
19 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches.  To view more of David's work, click on his name for the link to his page at the Gallery.

 Bird Family by Norval Morrisseau.  In a dream world I would have bought an original piece by Mr. Morrisseau, unfortunately they are priced way above my range.   Fortunately the Gallery still has several of his original pieces on display, so  will enjoy them when I visit.

 Husband was looking for something purple, and this Pendleton blanket was perfect.  This first photo shows the front.  This is a wonderfully thick wool blanket.  64 x 80 inches.

Back view.

First Nations Friday - Art work you can drink from

Summer is a great time to get away from home and go somewhere new.  Also great to re-visit those places that you have enjoyed.  On Saturday, hubby and I returned to Curve Lake First Nations.  Last summer was our first visit there, you can read  about that visit on this post.  this time we went with the purpose of shopping at the Whetung Ojibwe Crafts and Art Gallery.

Last year I bought the yellow/orange mug.  It is titled Man Changes into Thunderbird by Ojibwa artist Norval Morrisseau.  This year we selected the green mug Moose Harmony by the same artist.  Note, we have two of each mug.  Information about Mr. Morrisseau at the Whetung site.  Further information can be found at this unofficial website.

Practical gifts for our children were required.  For my son, the grey tone coffee travel mug.  Art work titled Box of Treasures by artist Corey W. Moraes, Tsimshian Nation.  To view further artwork, click on his name, select photos and check any of the albums.

For daughter we chose this metal water bottle.  The art is titled Feathers by Simone Diamond, Coast Salish.

Next week I'll share with you the prints we bought and the wool blanket.  Also a book of course.

First Nations/Aboriginal Fridays - Curve Lake First Nations Territory

Last weekend my family visited the Whetung Ojibwa Crafts and Art Gallery located on the Curve Lake First Nation Territory.  I have visited their website a number of times in the past while researching First Nation authors, but didn't imagine that I would be able to visit. 

I was amazed by the wide variety of arts to be found there.  At first glance the building seemed a fair size, but once in the doors, it kept going and going.  There is a large gallery on the main level with hundreds of painting and other works by dozens of artists.  I could have spent hours gazing on them and then could have started at the beginning and looked again.  I wanted to purchase a painting, but there were just too many that I loved  to decide on only one.  I did purchase a book The Bootlegger Blues: A Play by Drew hayden Taylor.   Also bought a mug that features the art work of Norval Morrisseau, Man Changes into Thunderbird.

This wood carving was found inside the front door.

The teepee was located in the backyard.  These three photos were taken by my niece Michelle Eng.

The next day we visted the Petroglyph Site that is overseen by the Curve Lake members.  A petroglyph is essentially a carving in rock.  This picture  of the glyphs is from Geology.com. 

Outside The Learning Centre we met Beverley.  She is Ranger and that day was conducting information sessions on butterflies.  The next two pictures are views of the building where the glyphs are located.  They are the last pictures we took at that location. 

We did take one other picture once we left the building.  Hubby made a rubbing.

This was a wonderful park to visit.  The glyph building is designed to preserve the carvings yet it also allows access to the Curve Lake members for their ceremonies.  This was my second visit to the site and I expect that it's not my last.  I was hoping to purchase a book about the site, but unfortunately the gift shop was closed that day. arg.

The Whetung Gallery and the Petroglyph park are about 1 1/4 hours apart and can easily be visited in one day.  Well worth the effort of getting there./

First Nations/Aboriginal Fridays - Beth Cuthand & Mary Longman

Today I read the story of 'The Little Duck - Sikihpsis' by Beth Cuthand. She is a Cree writer who grew up in both Alberta and Saskatchewan.
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This is the story of a lonely, little mud duck who wants some friends. He lives near a village of Cree and he greatly admires them and wants to be one of them. When the villagers are preparing for a dance, the duck dresses himself as finely as a duck can and went to the village. They are polite to him and direct him into the area of the dance, but neither the duck nor the people understand each other as they speak different languages. Finally the little duck realizes that he will never be a Cree and he goes back to his swamp. After he removes all his fancy dress he hears the calls of other mud ducks and realizes that he can understand them.


The text of the story is written in both English and Cree (both in English lettering and in the Cree alphabet). The second picture shows the Cree translation of the story, and the third picture shows the mud duck after he had finished dressing himself for the party. The Cree translation is by Stan Cuthand. The illustrations are by Mary Longman Aski-Piyesiwiskwew.
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You can learn more about Beth Cuthand at the Internet Public Library, Native American Authors.
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Mary Longman Aski-Piyesiwiskwew - Saulteaux is a member of the Gordon Band near Punnicy, Saskatchewan.
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There is a really good podcast with Mary at the Mendel Art Gallery website titled 'Whose History? Reconstructing Indigenous & Settler Pasts on the Canadian Plains'
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ArtSask features a sculpture or hers titled 'Ancestors Rising'

First Nations/Aboriginal Fridays artist Marion Tuu'luq

I borrowed this picture from the MacDonald Stewart Art Centre. Link for this site is at the bottom of the page.


I was looking for an author to feature today and instead came up this wonderful textile artist. Marion Tuu'luq, Inuit 1910-2002. She was born at Back River north west of Baker Lake, Nunavut Territory Canada.

I was struck by her choice of images and the wonderful use of colour. She tried a number of medium including beads, drawing and making large scale wool wall hangings.

I have included a number of links to both biographies, articles and images of some of her work.

An information page from an exhibit in 2004 at the MacDonald Stewart Art Centre in Guelph, Ontario

A brief biography and bibliography of writings about Marion Tuu'luq from the Canadian Women Artists History Initiative, Concordia University

An article from Nunatsiaq Online, Iqaluit Newspaper

Two Serigraph Prints of drawings by Marion Tuu'luq on display at Spirit Wrestler Gallery Vancouver, British Columbia . Thanks to Eric at the Gallery for correcting my impression that these were fabric wall hangings.

To learn about the process of making a Serigraph visit Knottywood Treasures.

A google search of images by Marion Tuu'luq