Indigenous Success Stories: Métis

Two photos of artwork on display as part of the Radical Stitch exhibit open now at the National Gallery of Canada. At left is Amazon Bag by Nico Williams, and at right is NDN Art by by Teri Greeves.

Windspeaker.com: The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa opened its doors May 17 for the Radical Stitch exhibit. It features 101 beadworks by 44 First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists.

The exhibit, which runs until Sept. 30, focuses on beadwork that connects viewers with the past by showcasing artwork of the present, from wearable art to portraiture and more. It’s one of the largest shows of contemporary beadwork with artists from Canada and the United States.

Radical Stitch “includes some of the best of the best beadwork artists in Turtle Island,” said co-curator Michelle LaVallee, director of Indigenous Ways and Curatorial Initiatives at the National Gallery of Canada.

“It was really important for us to raise the profile of beadwork to show it as contemporary, as part of this age,” LaVallee said. It’s the continuance of something that’s part of Indigenous history.

“You know, art making is part of what our communities have been doing since (the beginning of) time but (we’re) really wanting people to see the skill and labour that goes into making these works, in addition to the aesthetic beauty of beadwork, and hopefully do our part to elicit some awe and respect for the practice.”

The concept of the exhibit became reality five years ago at the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Saskatchewan. The National Gallery of Canada is the exhibit’s fourth stop.

“It really stems from a spark of inspiration I had to, and desire to, uplift beading practices over a couple decades ago when I first started my position at the Mackenzie Art Gallery,” said LaVallee. “But it was really conceptualized… around 2016.”

LaVallee co-curated Radical Stitch with Sherry Farrell Racette, a professor in the department of visual arts at the University of Regina, and Cathy Mattes, associate professor in history of art at the University of Winnipeg.

The exhibit travelled to the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Thunder Bay Art Gallery prior to the National Gallery.

Originally the number of exhibitors was quite extensive, explained LaVallee, but the list was reduced for touring purposes for the previous two showings. Due to the venue size at the National Gallery of Canada, the curators were able to bring back a number of artists for the current exhibit.

“We are really excited about the attention that the show has been bringing to artists and helping to celebrate their work and to celebrate their efforts,” LaVallee said. “And to bring beadwork into the contemporary sphere in a way that it’s never been exhibited before.”

A key element of the exhibit was to bring the art of beadwork from the stereotype of being a craft into a contemporary space.

“You have next generations of artists, like Nico Williams, who’ve really been creating new meaning and redefining representation and cultural determinism and experimenting with media, whether it be to play with pop culture or imagine new worlds to look at our complex identities,” said LaVallee.

Williams, a Montreal-based artist from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, creates geometrical and sculptural creations of everyday objects that link to his own history and personal stories. One of the items in the show by Williams is titled Amazon Bag.

“My art is looking at different ways to approach these, trying to replicate sound objects and also responding to works created by our ancestors and bridging the two,” said Williams.

“For instance, the Amazon Bag in the Radical Stitch show, it was looking at bandolier bags.”

Historically, bandolier bags were modelled after European military ammunition bags. They were made using trade cloth, and hundreds of small glass trade beads would be sewn to the exterior of the bag. The bags were then worn as part of men’s ceremonial clothing.

“But we’d also use them as commerce, and we would sell it for, like, we traded it actually for ponies,” Williams said. When he started the Amazon Bag project he read many stories about the historical beaded bags, including one from the depression era when someone had to sell their beaded bag for $5.

“So then, you really think about what value is and… what it represents,” Williams said.

He incorporated an Ojibway pattern monochromatically on the back of his Amazon Bag art piece to address the history of trade.

“I’m looking at Ojibway patterns and I’m always trying to figure out ways to highlight them and to put them into people’s faces, because for so long it hasn’t. It’s been tucked away in drawers,” he said.

“I was responding to works that are in drawers and they’re still in those drawers, because up until the ‘50s it was illegal to practice who we are.”

Another element of the Amazon Bag by Williams is replicated bubble wrap, typically found on the inside of a shipping package.

“I’m always trying to replicate these colonial objects that sort of shower around our territories,” Williams said, adding he really wanted to draw viewers to how historically bags were adorned with flowers or other items that represented who Indigenous people were, but now bubble wrap and other substances are entering the communities from outside sources.

Being part of the exhibit is an honour for Williams, he said, because it’s important for Indigenous creators to bring beadwork back to the communities.

“It is an honour, because there has been so much work that has gone into getting beadwork where it is being appreciated today, and the show is really highlighting so many amazing artists from different communities all across Turtle Island,” he said.

“I love all the curators. They have done such incredible work for so many people and the beadwork exhibition is going to make an impression in people’s minds and it’s going to change things.”

For more information on the show or to purchase tickets visit the National Gallery of Canada website Radical Stitch | National Gallery of Canada

By Crystal St.Pierre
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com

Local Journalism Initiative Reporters are supported by a financial contribution made by the Government of Canada.

APTN News: For more than 40 years, Jennine Krauchi has dedicated her life to sharing the art of Métis beadwork with the world.

“There’s something about beadwork, and something about doing beadwork that just brings you back to who you are, and to be proud of who you are,” Krauchi said during an interview with APTN News.

This week, the Manitoba Arts Council honoured Krauchi with their 2024 Award of Distinction. The $30,000 prize is given annually to an artist who embodies excellence in craft and community service.

Audrey Dwyer, the council’s director of granting, said this made Krauchi the perfect candidate.

“When it comes to the Manitoba Arts Council, we want to award someone who not only exceeds artistic excellence, but also contributes to the development of art in Manitoba, which is something Jennine also does,” Dwyer said.

Krauchi, a Red River Métis woman, learned to bead by observing her mother, Jenny Meyer.

To date, Krauchi’s work has been displayed at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Canadian Museum for Human Rights and on two Royal Canadian Mint collector’s coins.

However, in Canadian institutions, beadwork wasn’t always celebrated.

“Our beadwork was kept in drawers at museums, and every once in a while, somebody would be interested and pull that drawer out and have a look,” Krauchi said.

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Over the past several years, Krauchi has seen a surge of interest in beadwork–and more young people eager to learn.

In 2022, she and a host of Métis artists saw their work displayed in Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It was then that she knew there’d been a shift.

“There were other people in there too who were finally getting their pieces in art galleries, and exhibits,” she said. “It changed people’s outlook on the way beadwork was presented and looked at, and actually being looked at as more of an art form.”

In Krauchi eyes, beadwork is a collaborative medium. As she watches a new generation of beadworkers flourish, she dedicates the award to them, and the women who paved the way.

“The women that came before us that did this beautiful work…never got the recognition for it. So in a lot of ways, I dedicate this award to them because without them, I wouldn’t be doing what I do now.”

Next week, Krauchi’s work will be featured at the Radical Stitch exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, alongside creations by beadworkers from across North America.

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NationTalk: This August you will be able to get your hands on the latest edition of Canadian Geographic Magazine – which includes a feature article entitled “Rivers of Resistance” telling the story of Métis in Ontario. The article was written by MNO citizen and academic, Dylan Miner, with contributions from MNO citizen and researcher Courtney Vaughan and featuring the illustrations of MNO citizen, Alexander Young.

The issue is the result of a resolution that MNO citizens brought forward at our 2018 Annual General Assembly, as they expressed interest in a partnership with Canadian Geographic to educate about the culture, history and way of life of Métis communities in Ontario.

The magazine will include the history of MNO’s hunt for justice, profile Ontario’s historic Métis communities and the voices of several citizens from across the regions. The issue also includes a pull-out map showcasing the history of Métis throughout the province.

“We are very excited about this edition of the magazine,” said MNO President Margaret Froh. “Canadian Geographic is iconic in this country. This wonderful publication is focused on amplifying the voices of our communities and will help educate all Canadians about our rich history.”

The MNO-Canadian Geographic partnership doesn’t just end here. The MNO will soon launch a hub of information dedicated to the culture, history and way of life of Métis in Ontario. Stay tuned for more on that exciting announcement to come and look for copies of the special edition magazine at MNO’s upcoming Annual General Assembly in Toronto, Ontario.

Manitoba Métis Federation – The Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Library and Archives Canada and the NWT Archives are pleased to announce the inscription of two new collections on the Canada Memory of the World Register. These unique and irreplaceable documents highlight the preservation and transmission of Indigenous cultures and knowledge. Created in 2017, the Canada Memory of the World Register promotes the immense diversity of the country’s significant documentary heritage that extends from the initial settling of the land by Indigenous Peoples up to the present time.

The two new inscriptions are:

Gwich’in Tribal Council – Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute fonds
The Gwich’in Tribal Council – Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute (GTC-GSCI) fonds held at the NWT Archives consists of the complete research and administrative records created by the GTC-GSCI over 25 years of work. The fonds is an irreplaceable collection of Indigenous knowledge, created expressly for the preservation and promotion of Gwich’in culture, language, history, archaeology, place names, land use, ecology, genealogy, ethnobotany and traditional skills. This collection is significant as it is the most rich, comprehensive, and meticulous documentation of Gwich’in knowledge in the world. The Gwich’in Tribal Council and the NWT Archives work together to honour the intent of the Gwich’in Elders who wished to safeguard, preserve and provide access to this knowledge for future generations.

Métis Nation River Lot Settlements Maps

Library and Archives Canada holds plans of Métis river lots as required by the Manitoba Act and the transfer of Rupert’s Land and the North Western Territories. These river lot plans, created by Canadian government surveyors beginning in 1870, are important documents in the understanding of the Métis Nation. They are invaluable to the entire Métis Nation because they show where Métis ancestors lived before their homeland was included in Canada. While these river lot plans do not include any Michif, they clearly show where this language originated in Red River and delineate the families that spoke this unique Métis heritage language.

“The history of the Manitoba Métis originating in Red River is the history of the Métis Nation. We are the only Indigenous people to bring a province into Canadian Confederation. On behalf of our Cabinet and Citizens, I’m proud to see our history recognized by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. These river lots show our original role of strength and leadership in the Red River Settlement and give us a chance to reflect on where our Nation would be today, if we had not been forced off these lands. If we had been allowed to flourish and develop, I know our economic growth would have been impressive.”
– David Chartrand LL.D (hon.), O.M., President, Manitoba Metis Federation