vanished savage naturalness

Have you been on sedatives for the last dozen times or what? Someone may ask. Well, I thought I may have had an unhealthy relationship with my computer. When it’s not working, for some reason I tend to be unhealthy. Turns out I was only sneezing.

For the lack of something interesting to write about these past few days I had ignored my common place here. That is until now. There have been a variety of reactions, mostly confounded to the rain we’re having this early in February. Everyone asks why, as a matter of fact Canada is experiencing one of it’s warmest winters ever. The permafrost in Alaska, NWT, Yukon and Nunavut is melting causing huge environmental problems. The polar ice pack is disappearing at a rate that may cause the great Gulf Stream to stop by flooding the northern point with too much fresh water. Now new research indicated that the greatest threat of all, the huge west Antarctic ice sheet may be breaking up and that means a very large rise in sea level. What’s of most concern is that though these things have been talked about for several decades as possibilities, or as happenings but at a very slow pace, what we see now is a vast acceleration over even the most pessimistic predictions of the past decade. That can only portend worse to come. We’re all screwed, and our children’s children will be lucky to survive. Over the past couple days, I came to mentioning to a few the Ojibwa Shaman Artist, Norval Morrisseau, 78. If you’re not familiar with what is a Shaman, a Shaman is a member of certain tribal society who acts as a medium between the visible world and an invisible spirit world and who practices magic or sorcery for purposes of healing, divination, and control over natural events.

As I was saying, I had visited the National Art Gallery yesterday night. There was a pre-opening show left for those acknowledged in the native artist community and those of aboriginal government and issues. I was inclined to visit. I had come to the place without much history of Norval but with great pleasure in taking part in any such event in regards of an Ojibwa artist. I myself am a young Ojibwa artist and any common ground that can be established with others in any event is good by me. When I came across Mr. Morrisseau, to my surprise I found he was paraplegic. That left me on the same wheel of suffering as he was, so to speak. Complete paralysis of the body with the nerve system shot.

I found that night that ones end is a means to another’s beginning. Also in accordance to the definition of failure is another’s definition of a success. Depending on how you look at it and from whose point of view you expand upon. Speaking accordingly, you could say that his show is a success. He was addressed by everyone crowded around him as if he were the Pope. They whispered to his ear as they held his hand. For me to stand there as I had witnessed his suited associates at any part speak on his behalf and take personal recognition upon themselves, it felt to me as some sort of wrongdoing. I senced there was inherent violation of values. It made me sick. But the damage is done, and it was a success. His friends are richer, his family is richer, and they will continue to become wealthier. His art in stock has doubled, to triple even in his death.

In remembrance, his work now hangs in all of the most prestigious museums in Canada and around the world. He has received an honorary degree from the Royal Academy of Arts and is a member of The Order Of Canada, the highest civilian honour in Canada. In 1989 he was the only Canadian Painter to be invited to participate in the "Magicians of the Earth" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, France.

His work invoked memories of childlike simplicity with colors not immediately apparent. His vision, like ancient taboos are a so called, talisman of the future with images in respect of the past. Yet devastated with by his own personal demons, it conveyed in his art history from European epidemics to neo-colonization. To this day his work has fought to separate itself from the culture sickness that has spread as most native land was appropriated, a fate shared by all native peoples of North America. He has helped create an aboriginal school of art and fought plans to deport the Ojibwa to Kansas and Oklahoma and succeeded. Today nearly all Ojibwa reservations are within their original territory. This place called Canada.

To admit to these atrocities was approriate, the first step to change is awareness, if nobody knows the truth than nobody can help expose it. Most people I talk to think that on or off-reserve natives live on vacationing resorts 24/7 that most can go to in order to escape from trivial problems of low marks, high cell phone bills, and heavy stress-load from the jobs we hate. Well guess what....it isn't. People are dying there. Not necessarily from disease, famine, or unsanitary conditions (although all of those things are problems), but from an organization that we falsely instilled our trust, an organization that claims to do nothing but help the less-fortunate of the world, then turns around on them. It's time for us to open our eyes and see that everything it stands for is nothing but a heeping pile of bullshit.

I have to be honest and admit that I don’t know what to make of this whole. One aspect of all of this that I find ironic is how, when it comes to things of this nature, is when it comes to actually tackling some of the most blatant abuses of power in recent years, not to mention the realization that lies were used to promote them, the same sort of enthusiasm is rarely present. I think that it’s unfortunate, very irresponsible, and a reflection of a very real and growing form that has become completely acceptable.
I have to thank Norval for the evening. Perspective is very important, I whole heartedly agree. So let’s apply historical perspective to the issue for the most part, a mess, and the product of this colonial plunder and mismanagement. Now during all of this turmoil and uncertainty and hardship, a great many people fled from such places on the reserve in an attempt to build better lives for themselves are often shat on. Coming from a Native mother and community, I continue to have first hand experience with the realities of this mindset.