Nohkom Quilt Series: Seeds of the Past

This series is titled ‘Seeds from the past…’, through sewing I imagine the seed beads are how the land connects me to the past and in wonder to preserve their memory. Art has a voice and lives on, activating the past present and future to preserve our culture and our land.’Nohkom quilt’ named this series ‘Nohkom is in Nehiyawewin/Cree meaning grandmother from long ago. In fashioning in the greater context of naming this a quilt series it represents a quilt that is gifted to elder in highest honor. I created these works in mind as delineate by honoring my ‘Nohkum Agnes Harriet Janvier-Paquette. Today my mother elder Shirley Norris-Shillinglaw shares stories about our shared family origins from the LeGoff" (Indian Reserve 149) known the communities of Cold Lake First nations. My mother shares stories in memories of her Kookum – grandmother harvesting and/or healing properties of the natural world, she was a true medicine woman of the community, people came to her for healing. Today I share by telling stories in my artworks how important the prairies, forest, and marshlands are reflected into my art, this philosophy is; Metis Ecological Arts Message – MEAM’. This land and project merge the ideals of the land and a continuation of my artistic message, a profound source of inspiration exists where I live and my linked past. While my artistic goal is to engage people and communities in land conservation and stewardship. In sharing these relationships, I believe that ‘plants are culture’ in sharing this knowledge through my art is a kinship of materials used to speak how to use the plant, harvesting methods and or how the plant can be used for the use for Mind, body, or spirit. In each piece I have used materials that become symbols in these works measuring in the usage of rulers is used as a metaphor of question to my ancestors I always ask of myself as how I measure up in carrying in the traditions and or the respect for the land. Another material I have used in these works are beads by doing beadwork onto dee hides this is a skill done my by ancestors as a ‘raised beading style’ routed all the way to the eastern Canada when my ancestors traveled they carried the knowledge of beadwork and this is a rich Anishinaabe tradition, I use the idea of layering and contemporize it in my own way as self taught beader. By using beadwork each piece honours the knowledge I have learned from my elders, and ongoing teachings of the land to reconcile my own journey of reconciliation. In the complex stitchery had consoled my sole of the change of land with the desire to link to the ancestors through beads. This series is titled ‘Seeds from the past…’, through sewing I imagine the seed beads are how the land connects me to the past and in wonder to preserve their memory. The underlining MEAM in all the material used the goal is to remind the view that we are all stewards of the land to preserve the awe of nature for the next generation.