Latest news with #Nakoda
Calgary Herald
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Bearspaw chief said G7 was a step in the right direction after meeting with Mark Carney
This year's G7 summit did a better job of including First Nations representation than the last time Canada acted as host, one Indigenous leader said Tuesday, but there is still room for improvement. Article content Chief Darcy Dixon of the Bearspaw First Nation was among the group of Treaty 7 chiefs who greeted world leaders as they arrived for the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, and also met with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday. Article content Article content Article content At the 2002 G8 summit also hosted in Kananaskis, Treaty 7 chiefs were invited to greet world leaders but were excluded from the meetings. Dixon said a step has been made in the right direction, but there's still progress to be made. Article content 'We need to be at the front, especially in our territory, our lands,' he said. 'Even having a few more minutes to meet with the prime minister and even with some of the world leaders — I'm sure they would like to meet with First Nations here. Article content Article content 'I know everybody's busy, right? That's the thing. Everybody's schedule is so tight.' Article content Dixon was also chief during the 2002 summit, and said he enjoyed the experience of greeting world leaders on both occasions. Article content 'It's always a privilege to greet different nations here in Canada, but more importantly, on our ancestral lands here in Canada,' he said. Article content Article content 'They were asking questions and wanting to take pictures and, you know, where was I from?' he said. 'I tried to explain to them where the Nakoda nations, Bearspaw nations, were from.' Article content Sunday's meeting with Carney was a little more than an hour long, Dixon said. Article content 'It doesn't give us much time to talk about some of the stronger issues,' he said. The meeting gave Treaty 7 chiefs an opportunity to get to know Carney and hear some of his ideas, which included making Canada 'an economic force,' Dixon said.
Hamilton Spectator
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Artwork honours warrior way, culture, stories in Indigenous Perspectives gallery
CANMORE — Daisynae LaBelle grew up in a home where art covered every wall. Exposed to painting at a young age through her father, Dennis LaBelle, Daisynae would doodle dancers and her depictions of warriors as she travelled to ceremonies and powwows across Canada and the U.S. '[My father] is kind of like a Van Gogh, he's been painting throughout the years at our home and on our walls. It's basically like a personal gallery, seeing all of his hard work as a child,' she said. Encouraged in her potential by her father and influenced by the style and works of illustrator Paul Goble, Daisynae learned that what she had been emulating in her doodles was called ledger art. 'Ledger art evolved from the Plains Indians, from the buffalo hides – its pictorial art. When buffalo became scarce after the U.S. federal government's eradication programs, Natives began painting on paper, any paper they can find – any government paper,' she said. ' So it's a traditional art form that's been around 100 years, 120 years.' Fast forward 10 years, the two Îyârhe Nakoda artists are now showcasing their work alongside each other. 'It feels like an honour and a big step up to be side by side with him,' she said. The father-daughter duo are two of nine artists showcasing their work in the Indigenous Perspectives show at the Three Sisters Gallery in Elevation Place. '[The gallery] is in the spirit of acknowledging that we are in a time of reconciliation and that we celebrate and honour those that are our neighbours in Treaty 7 – we have some artists from Treaty 6 as well,' said Sue Hayduk, the Town of Canmore's art and culture coordinator. Running for its third year and marking the start of National Indigenous History Month, the gallery honours Indigenous culture, tradition and stories, while inviting conversation and reconciliation through art. Acrylic paintings, fish scale art, wet plate photography and pyrography are among the mediums used by the nine artists in the gallery. 'Some of the art is really telling of the warrior way and warrior culture and some of the natural order, tradition and stories that come from Indigenous tellings and relations to wildlife and the land,' said Hayduk. Daisynae's acrylic canvas paintings 'Honour Through Survival' depict a Nakoda holy man and a Nakoda warrior. She said the Nakoda holy man, or pipe holder, has one of the most sacred responsibilities in the tribe. 'The pipe holder isn't just a ceremonial figure, he's a spiritual protector and messenger who speaks to spirits on behalf of our people,' she said. 'His role is very heavy. It's not taken lightly.' Daisynae chose to illustrate these figures through ledger art as a way to honour them, keeping their presence alive. '[The Nakoda warriors] are not just a figure from the past, but what is a powerful presence that still holds meaning today,' she said. 'I really hope that [people] look at these and feel the heavy presence and the strong ties to our tribe and not just our tribe but Native people in general,' said Daisynae. 'Even if they don't understand it, I hope they can see it and feel the presence and maybe question, 'I wonder what that is?' and maybe they'll look it up.' The gallery also welcomed several first time artists. Among those is photographer and beadwork artist Carla Blanche Fox. In her first ever gallery, Fox displays her photographic series 'Cracked Houses.' The three images depict abandoned family homes that belonged to her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother in Mînî Thnî. 'That's where my memory of trauma starts, is from these houses,' said Fox. In her artist summary, Fox writes about her childhood experiences in each home. The houses carry with them memories of trauma, domestic violence and alcoholism, but it is also in her great grandmother's home, 'The white artist house,' where Fox recalls first being introduced to art. 'In the chaos of alcoholism is where I learned the beauty of art,' she wrote in her statement. Photography, beadwork, acting and painting are now the vessels through which she processes pain and shares her story. ' I wrote [in the statement] that I wasn't ashamed of where I come from and where I grew up. It's just the healing part of my journey and I just wanted to put it out there that people don't have to be ashamed of where they come from, especially if you're a woman and Indigenous,' she said. Fox hopes her story, illustrated through her photography, will help others acknowledge their pasts, too. 'Some people don't like to talk about their past or what they grew up in. I just wanted to influence others that it's OK to talk about your past and where you came from … to heal,' she said. The work of Les Palmer, James Brittain, Autumn Whiteway, Gavin Ear, Gordon Wesley and Ron Whiteway is also on display in the collection. 'I like that they're doing Indigenous Perspectives. My dad said there wasn't really much like that back in the 90s and 2000s – everyone's storytelling, everyone's views … that's very important,' said Daisynae. The Indigenous Perspectives gallery opened on June 4 at the Three Sisters Gallery with a blessing and traditional song and dance from members of the Îyârhe Nakoda First Nation. The artwork will be displayed on the second floor of Elevation Place until Oct. 6. Along with the gallery, several events will be held throughout the month to celebrate Indigenous history, including film screenings, cultural workshops, an Indigenous market and a powwow at the Civic Centre Plaza on June 14. For more information on National Indigenous History Month events in Canmore, visit: . The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
