Foreigner at the Tulalip Amphitheater. Photos/Micheal Rios
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
On the evening of Friday, July 8, legendary rock band Foreigner brought their formidable musical arsenal and enduring rock & roll anthems to the sold-out Tulalip Amphitheatre. With an energetic full capacity crowd on hand, Tulalip Resort Casino’s annual Summer Series continued to live up to its hype of mixing top tier musicians and a stellar atmosphere.
Star Nayea opened the show.
The opening act on this night was well-known Native American recording artist and GRAMMY winner Star Nayea. A self-described truth teller through music, Star used her soulful and powerful voice to perform several of her moving songs that are in her own blues/pop/rock mold that is unmistakable her own. After her set, the crowd was visibly anxious for the main act, one of the most popular rock acts in the world, Foreigner.
The Foreigner lineup that took the stage at the Tulalip Amphitheatre didn’t contain any original members from when the group took the rock & roll world by storm in the ‘70s and ‘80s. However, the current members did have the classic rock group’s catalog of hit songs and an electric energy that was enough to keep the sold-out crowd on its feet, while dancing and singing along with the band for the entire hour and thirty minute set.
Kelly Hansen, the lead singer and rock vocalist, is an energetic front man, strutting and posing on stage from the jump, as the band opened their set with “Double Vision” and “Head Games”. Taking it up a notch, Hansen literally took his energy to his fans when he hopped off stage and ran around the floor of the Amphitheatre high-fiving his beloved fans while performing “Cold as Ice”.
The band put their signature stamp on an acoustic “Say You Will,” with Tom Gimbel setting aside his guitar for a flute intro. Gimbel later took center stage to bring sax appeal to “Urgent,” adding a prolonged solo, a highlight of the evening.
The crowd was blown away while witnessing a genuine classic rock & roll band making their legendary music with real deal instruments and bonafide talent, no gimmicks or vocal synthesizers like what’s commonly found in the music industry today. Everything that goes into the Foreigner experience is authentic rock & roll, the way it was meant to be.
For the duration of the evening, the band provided their patented arena rock flair to the intimate venue that is the Tulalip Amphitheatre. Classic hit after classic hit was performed until the energy reached its pinnacle with a full-on jam session version of “Jukebox Hero”.
The encore included “I Want to Know What Love Is,” which featured the Voices Northwest choir (out of Everett) providing backup vocals. Foreigner donated $500 to the choir for appearing with the band and while the choir also sold Foreigner CDs at the concert to raise monies for Foreigner’s charity partner, The Grammy Foundation. Both Foreigner and The Grammy Foundation are intent upon helping to keep music education available to students as part of the core curriculum in high schools throughout North America.
The night-ended with a rousing performance of “Hot Blooded” that had everyone jumping, singing, and rocking all the way out. Forty years of excellent music artistry and a catalogue of hits that is unrivaled is what Foreigner brought to the live Tulalip Amphitheatre concert.
“If you want to understand electricity, get yourself a seat anywhere Rhonda Ross performs!” – NightLife Exchange
Singer-Songwriter, Rhonda Ross is an African Diasporic Woman of the World. Bilingual in French and English (and raising her son to be fluent in four languages), Rhonda knows how to communicate with audiences around the world. Her original music lives in the gap between Jazz, Neo-soul, Funk and Gospel. Her lyrics live in the pause between life’s most important questions and their answers. Rhonda is one of the rare artists today using her music to examine the society she lives in – from racism to sexism to homophobia to the need for self-love and spirituality, Rhonda’s songs look through all of it and ask “In the midst of THIS, how can I still live the best life possible?
Rhonda has great power on stage and her refreshingly personal and moving performances set her apart from other vocalists of her era. Rhonda’s music flows straight from her essence and her bright spirit uplifts everyone in the room. With a crown of natural hair, Rhonda graces the stage with the gravitas and glamour of a modern-day queen. As the only child of Diana Ross and Motown Founder Berry Gordy, it has become evident that Rhonda not only has the talent, but the significance to carry on her parents’ legacy, all the while establishing her own unique musical destination.*
Through Rhonda’s individual and creative expression, the legendary Ross influence continues to live on and expand. While gearing up for the long-awaited release of her newest CD, expected to launch in July, Rhonda is currently touring the U.S. with her mom. The Tulalip Amphitheatre was fortunate enough to book the talents of Rhonda Ross as part of the Tulalip Resort Casino’s summer concert series. Rhonda will be sharing the stage with her mother Diana Ross on Saturday, July 2 in front of a sell-out crowd of faithful fans.
Rhonda took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for the Tulalip News readers:
Where does this interview find you today?
RR: I’m in my Harlem apartment. It’s a gorgeous new summer day and there’s a breeze blowing in the window! So wonderful! Reminds me of my song Summer Day; ‘Walking out of a deep freeze. My heart is healing and I finally feel at ease. The sun is breaking through the trees. Like the first summer day in the park. Like the first summer day in the park”. Ha!
How has your spring/summer tour shaped up thus far? What has been the highlight of the tour?
RR: Our summer tour hasn’t officially started yet. The first day is Friday June 24 in Aspen and I can’t wait! Touring as part of my mother’s show is a very new occurrence and it provides me with not only wonderful opportunities to share my music and message with audiences across the country, but also it affords my mother and me special family time. So I can’t wait!
When did you know you wanted to be a performer in the music industry? How did that decision come about?
RR: I have known all my life that I wanted to be a performing artist. Perhaps it is in my DNA or perhaps it’s because it’s what I witnessed, but I have been singing all my life, all the way through high school and college. It was during my last couple years of Brown University that I joined a jazz quartet and started performing professionally. I never looked back.
When you are backstage preparing to perform what motivates you? Any superstitious rituals a part of your preparation?
RR: I like to quiet myself, align with the Spirit of God. The Spirt of Truth. I remind myself that none of this is about me. I am just a vessel for that energy and I relinquish to it and prepare to be danced and sung by it. It’s so fun. I feel beyond blessed to have that opportunity night after night.
Who were some of your biggest role models that you looked up to in the beginning of your career?
RR: Of course my parents, my mother and my father. They are trail-blazers. They believed in themselves when no one else did. They were single-focused. They stuck to their values and kept their eyes on the prize. They have work ethic like I have never seen before and I believe it’s because they love what they do. They both created careers that they enjoy so much, they don’t need to take vacations away from them! Even from a young girl, I knew I wanted to create a career that was organic and authentic to who I am so that it lifts me up, not burdens me, so that I can pursue it, joyfully, for the rest of my life.
Photo courtesy of John Lappen
You will be performing at the Tulalip Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 2 opening for you mom. Can you tell us what audiences can expect from this performance?
RR:My mother’s show is a high-energy, feel good 90 minutes. All the songs that people love from the Motown days through her film career, and her hits from the 80s, 90s and 2000s. People will be on their feet for the entire time!
And my part of the show begins in the evening. I’m a singer-songwriter and I write songs that help me to live. They are about life, how to navigate it, and how to digest so much of what we see around us. I like to say that my music is for “Grown Folk”, adults. There is meaning and there are messages. That said, it’s also fun. I got a grooving band behind me and we have a ball! All told, it’s a fun, meaningful night.
Think you will find time to play some slot machines or table games at the Tulalip Resort Casino while you’re in town?
RR: I’m not much of a gambler, but I do love to explore. I will definitely be walking around seeing all the new things there is to see and experience.
Who would you love to collaborate with musically that you haven’t yet had the opportunity to do so?
RR: Oh my! There are so many. I’d love to work with Jill Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu! Right now I (like the rest of the country) am completely obsessed with Hamilton: The Musical. Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of our geniuses. It would be incredible to collaborate with him one day.
What is the most outrageous fan interaction you’ve ever had?
RR: My mother’s and my fans are the best! The most loyal! Truly! When we go “on tour” they go “on tour” too. It’s remarkable! And truthfully, I have learned so much from them, they really know how to enjoy their lives. They pursue the things that bring them joy. It’s fantastic! Nothing is too outrageous if it brings joy into our lives. In this day and age, we need all the joy we can get.
Who is currently in your music playlist? Any artists or genres we would be surprised to find there?
RR: Like I just wrote I am obsessed with the Hamilton Soundtrack. I listen to it (from beginning to end) almost every day (I was just listening before I started this interview). I think people would be surprised to know how much I like musical theater, but it’s because I am a storyteller at heart, a poet. I am really turned on by smart lyrics.
What’s on tap next for you? What are you most excited about?
RR: My new CD should be out in July and that has got me really excited. Been working on it about a year and I’m really proud of how it’s turned out. So stay tuned for that. It will be everywhere; iTunes, Spotify, you name it. Of course, I’ll be selling (and signing) it after my shows!
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States, had a massive lineup in its 42nd annual 25-day run from May 19 through June 12. This year SIFF screened 421 films representing 85 countries: 181 features, 75 documentaries, 8 archival films, and 153 shorts. The films included 54 World premieres and 27 U.S. premieres.
Among those hundreds of films, two (Mekko and Before the Streets) were made with North American indigenous issues central to their theme. Prior to their Seattle premieres, SIFF publicists and media relations staff reached out to local tribal media about covering the films and meeting the directors for potential publications. According to festival publicist Sophia Perez, the staff of Tulalip News were the only tribal media who responded to the SIFF invitation.
Mekko director Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Creek) at his film’s SIFF premiere. Photo/Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Mekko is the product of director/writer Sterlin Harjo who is a member of the Seminole nation with Muskogee heritage. Born and raised in the small town of Holdenville, Oklahoma, Sterlin studied film and art at the University of Oklahoma. Sterlin is a founding member of the Native American comedy troupe, the 1491s, whose bold stylings have garnered millions of views on YouTube.
Mekko is a film that explores the rarely seen slice of life about marginalized homeless Native Americans. Mekko is an uncompromising thriller set against the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma wherein a Muscogee Native is released from prison and falls in with the homeless “street chiefs” at the edge of the city, struggling to find shelter, hope, and redemption among the local Native population.
“People walk past or drive past the homeless all the time and never think about where they came from and how they ended up where they are. In making this film I wanted to humanize the Native homeless population in Tulsa while giving them a voice,” says Director Sterlin. In writing the film Sterlin spent a lot of time among the Native homeless population in order to ensure his story line was an accurate portrayal of their struggle. “While doing my research I was also recruiting them to be in my film. They were very open to the idea and I could tell how excited they were to have someone tell a story about them.
“For those you watch the film, I hope they come to realize that we are all just a few decisions away from ending up on the streets,” adds Sterlin. “Whether it’s through alcohol or drugs or anything else that alienates you from your family, once you lose that support it’s easy to end up on the streets.”
Award winning film and television actor Zahn McClarnon plays the character Bill in Mekko. Photo courtesy of Sterlin Harjo.
Mekko paints the portrait of a homeless Native American parolee in Tulsa. As he struggles to find his way in the outside world after two decades behind bars, the titular Mekko discovers a chaotic yet occasionally profound and beautiful community of impoverished natives which now includes Bunnie, one of his old carousing buddies from his wilder youth. Though Mekko finds some peace in this society that exists on the fringes of our modern world, he also uncovers a darkness that threatens to destroy it from within. After a tragic series of events, Mekko dedicates himself to a quest for revenge which he believes will cleanse the sickness from this collective of marginalized individuals and perhaps atone for the sins that landed him in jail so many years ago.
Making its United States premiere, Before the Streets is a gripping and spiritual film set among the Atikamekw communities of Quebec, Canada. Featuring an indigenous cast speaking in their native tongue, it’s a redemptive story of a young man who returns to his Native traditions after a robbery ends in tragedy.
The lead character, young Shawnouk kills a man during a robbery and flees into the forest. Deciding to return to his Atikamekw village in Quebec, he tries to return to his everyday life, but is haunted by his past. Covering gritty, everyday issues of Native life on reservations from hunger and poverty to less talked about social issues of teen suicide and struggling family dynamics, Shawnouk must overcome his despair and redeem himself using traditional cleansing rituals.
Before the Streets celebrates a revival of the Native culture and its traditions, as embodied by the very actors who participated in the film. The first dramatic feature shot in the native language of Atikamekw, the film boasts a cast composed almost entirely of non-professionals living and working in the villages where the film was shot. The story takes place in Manawan, while a forest fire closes in on the nearby village of Wemotaci.
Director, producer and writer Chloe Leriche set out to highlight First Nations resilience and how it manifests itself. Photo/Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
First-time feature director Chloe Leriche made Before the Streets with the collaboration of Quebec’s three Atikamekw communities, in drawing on all the vitality they embody. By following the pacing of her non-professional actors, she created a distinct style that goes beyond notions of the North American indie genre and recent media reports on the dismal conditions in Canada’s Native communities.
“I was working for Wapikoni Mobile, a project that involved traveling to Native communities in a trailer equipped with video cameras and editing tables. The idea was to encourage young people to express themselves through cinema,” says Director Chloe of how the inspiration for her film came about. “The first time I went to Obedjiwan, an Atikamekw community in northern Mauricie, I met a young man in the street and suggested he make a documentary on whatever subject he wanted. We went to look for two of his friends to hold the camera and record sound. I told his friends to ask him questions, and we filmed in different places around the village. Speaking to the camera, he talked about friends and relatives of his who had taken their own lives. The longer we shot, the longer the list of names grew. It was harrowing. After that, of the different scripts I was developing, Before the Streets forced itself on me like a scream. I felt compelled to make it, it became a necessity. The project grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go.
Lead character Shawnouk undergoes traditional cleansing ceremonies in order to move forward with his life. Image courtesy of Chloe Leriche
I spent a lot of time in different native communities. I visited Obedjiwan several times; in all I must have spent six months there,” continues Chloe. “I took part in many traditional ceremonies and pow wows, I lived with different families and made many friends. I also did research and read about the Native concept of restorative justice. I attended councils of elders, where village elders meet to discuss different issues and question solutions. In my film, the resolution, with the return to tradition, grew out of these exchanges.”
We know that there is a large group of people in America that are going unnoticed and often, unappreciated. Filmmakers like Sterlin and Chloe, bringing Native films to the table, are allowing their audience to be exposed to Native culture and see that the marginalized have something important to say. While installing themselves in a genre often thought reserved only for the rich and upper-class, whether it’s Native filmmakers breaking out onto the circuit or just films in general portraying Native life in today’s modern times, the presentation of Native films is a significant shock to the system. They help to shed an accurate light on so many Native issues, like homelessness and teen suicide on reservations, commonly hidden in the shadows.
The Tulalip Tribes had a busy culture-filled weekend. The Annual Veteran’s Pow Wow, held at the Don Hatch Youth Center, kicked off on Friday June 3 and lasted until late Sunday June 5.
During all three days of the event the gym was over-flowing as dancers and drum circles honored the Veterans of Native America. Boye Ladd held the title of MC for the weekend, and the Arena Director was Randy Vendiola. Outside, the weather reached a high 90 degrees which allowed event-goers a chance to step out and admire the beautiful bay, skate park, new field, and of course the many art, craft, and food vendors that came for the pow wow.
On the last day of the pow wow, as the Veterans stood up for recognition, one Vet asked the gym if anybody made their way down to the Slahal Tournament that was simultaneously happening the same weekend at the Tulalip Amphitheatre. He went on to say that he had dropped by the Stick Game event and was pleasantly surprised with the large turnout.
“It’s beautiful. All these Natives living clean and sober having fun at these drug and alcohol free events, it’s beautiful. Thank you Tulalip!” The Stick Game Tournament had a $63,000 total payout, with multiple games played throughout the weekend.
Kookaburra/Recalecense. Richard Rowland (Native Hawaiian). 2005. Clay, marsupial bones, umbrella, stove top element, obsidian. “The works I sometimes make are directly associated with the idea of transformation, adaptability, and the responsibilities I feel toward my culture and toward my community of people, animals, and the whole natural world. I use natural materials in an organically abstracted way that expresses who I am and where I came from – mainly my ancestral beginning, which are deeply rooted somewhere between the landscape and the heavens.”
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The House of Welcome Longhouse Education and Cultural Center located at Evergreen State College in Olympia is celebrating 20 years of groundbreaking work. Work that emphasizes promoting indigenous arts and cultures through education, cultural preservation, and creative expression. The House of Welcome celebrates the essence of that work with its latest exhibition, Building Upon the Past, Visioning Into the Future.
We Are One Bond. Chilling Taha (Cree/Iroquois). Acrylic on plywood.
Curated by Longhouse staff members, Erin Genia (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) and Linley Logan (Seneca), the exhibition features the works of artists from this land, local Squaxin Island, Skokomish, Puyallup and many other Salish tribes. Tribes from across the nation are also represented, from Alaska, the Plains, and across the Pacific Rim, including Kanaka Maoli artists from Hawaii and Maori artists from New Zealand.
Hummingbird Moon. Malynn Foster (Squaxin Island and Skokomish). 2015. Acrylic, pastel, mixed media on canvas.
`Works on display include paintings, drums, carving, beadwork, photography, baskets, and jewelry.
The subjects and techniques exhibited by the Longhouse artists draw from a diverse range of stylistic traditions, which arise from cultural teachings, ancestral lineages, and each artist’s unique experiences as indigenous peoples.
The exhibition was on display from March 31 – May 11. The House of Welcome was gracious to allow syəcəb staff a private tour of the exhibition so that we could share amazingly creative and exceptional Native art with our readers.
Supernatural Seawolves. Joe Seymour (Squaxin Island and Acoma Pueblo). 2015. Acrylic on paper. “Supernatural Seawolves is a reproduction of an old spindle whorl that I studied at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington D.C. My trip to the NMAI was made possible through the National Native Creative Development grant through the Longhouse. The design shows two double-headed seawolves. I created this print while working with Lisa Sweet in Artistic Inquiry: Relief Printmaking program during the 2015 Spring quarter at TESC.”
Cedar Bark Fedora. Patti Puhn (Squaxin Island). 2016. Red and yellow cedar bard, sinew, pheasant feathers.
Swimming Together. In 2015, Artist-in-Residence and Longhouse grantee Nora Naranjo Morse (Tewa) conducted a two-week workshop to create a clay fish installation that will be installed on the future Indigenous Arts Campus at the Evergreen State College. In preparation for the workshop, Nora harvested and processed clay from Santa Clara and Taos Pueblo in the traditional way. Under the guidance and expertise of Nora, the Longhouse staff team joined with community artists to hand-build ceramic fish from the beautiful micaceous clay provided. Together, the tribal participants represented many different regions of the U.S. At the start of the workshop, the group came together to tell fish stories form their tribes. “Swimming Together” represents the connection of Indigenous peoples to the land and sea, and people of many cultural backgrounds working and learning together. This installation is a selection of the fish created during the workshop.
Treat Dad like a King this June … serve him breakfast in bed or set up a lawn chair in a shady spot in the backyard where he can enjoy his favorite steak on the grill.
Or better yet, let us do the work for you! Take Dad to the Tulalip Resort Casino’s Orca Ballroom for the best Father’s Day Brunch in town!
Our chefs have put together all of Dad’s favorites like Prime Rib, Barbequed Chicken, Pork Ribs, Spud Bar, desserts and much more…
We’re showing Dad’s favorite sports on our large screens and added fun things to do with Dad like a 9-hole mini golf course, QB Blitz, Skee Ball, Shooting Stars and a coloring wall and the always enjoyable Face Painters!
The Hibulb United Schools Spring Pow Wow was held at Totem Middle School on Saturday May 14, 2016. The venue was small, however, it was a more intimate setting, which allowed everybody to take part in the festivities. There were five drum circles, and several vendors selling clothing, beadwork, art prints, sage, and sweet grass.
A dinner, featuring hamburger stew, dinner rolls, and fresh fruit, took place before the grand entry. Once everybody made their way to the gym, Totem Middle School Principal, Tarra Patrick, briefly spoke of the importance culture, and keeping traditions alive. MC, Arlie Neskahi, then welcomed everybody and a culture filled night with drums, singing, dancing, competition and laughter followed.
In the middle of the ceremony, all dancers stopped on a whistle, elder Charlie Pierce, signaled for everybody to stop momentarily. “Thank you all for stopping immediately, there is a pressing issue that I must acknowledge right now,” said Pierce, “Three times I was stopped in my tracks, there is somebody here who is hurting, three separate occasions something came to me and told me I have to address this situation.” He then called for complete silence while he prayed for the gym. Pierce continued, “Whoever you are, if you are going through a tough time, then get yourself out here, there is medicine on this dancefloor come and receive your healing.”
The evening really began after that moment; dozens of on-lookers came out and danced, seeking healing, A father, who brought his new born out to dance said “That was amazing, I am not sure if there was a particular person that was addressed to, but there were many people who needed this, and his words gave them the courage to get up, share memories and have some fun.”
In between dances there were raffles, donations, and birthday wishes. Gifts were also handed out. One of the gifts were coloring books for every kid that danced. “I think the books were a great gift, we worked with Everett Community College, and we just wanted to encourage kids to stay in school.” stated committee member Terrance Sabbas,“I am very happy with the turn out, especially because our community had so many events going on in the same night.”
Terrance expressed that the vision of the Hibulb Pow Wow was to create a more traditional experience. “It’s officially Pow Wow season! We just wanted to have a more traditional vibe, we paid drums equally, we had competitions, but we didn’t want it to be about the prizes. We wanted to bring it back to the days where the community got together and enjoyed good song and dance.”
Young Nation – Ka’ila Farrell-Smith (Klamath/Modoc). 2015. Oil paint, spray paint, wax crayon on canvas. “Young Nation is a painting using direct visual symbolism to create dialogue about the attempted erasure of Indigenous cultures through forced assimilation by violent European colonization in the Americas (and abroad). American mythologies of ‘manifest destiny’, ‘frontier expansionism’ along with the use of Christianity’s land claims via papal bull’s like the Doctrine of Discovery were utilized to enact agendas such as: Indian Boarding Schools, Termination acts, Relocation acts, Reservations, land theft and biological warfare. This systemic and environmental racism is still happening across Indian Country today. Young Nation asks the questions: is forced colonization worth the attempted erasure and destruction of Indigenous culture, art & paradigm? There is sadness and pain in recognizing the losses, but there is also an empowerment in acknowledging the injustice. When the dominant culture is unaware of the ugly horrors in our shared histories, such as the Indian Boarding schools whose motto was “Kill the Indian, Save the Man,” then I feel creating paintings that bring light to these cultural secrets are of the imperative.”
by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The House of Welcome Longhouse Education and Cultural Center located at Evergreen State College in Olympia is celebrating 20 years of groundbreaking work. Work that emphasizes promoting indigenous arts and cultures through education, cultural preservation, and creative expression. The House of Welcome celebrates the essence of that work with its latest exhibition, Building Upon the Past, Visioning Into the Future.
Curated by Longhouse staff members, Erin Genia (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) and Linley Logan (Seneca), the exhibition features the works of artists from this land, local Squaxin Island, Skokomish, Puyallup and many other Salish tribes. Tribes from across the nation are also represented, from Alaska, the Plains, and across the Pacific Rim, including Kanaka Maoli artists from Hawaii and Maori artists from New Zealand.
We Are Their Only Voice Scraped Bucket, Salmon and Beaver. Dawn Walden (Mackinac Band of Chippewa and Ottawa). Birch bark, cedar bark, cedar roots, sweetgrass, bass wood corded handle. “Essense of Birch Tree. Though I consider myself a Contemporary Native Artist, I look for the sacred in form and traditional materials, blending contemporary with traditional weaving. For me it is about showing respect for the tradition and spirit of the materials, always seeking a balance between myself, the materials, and the form they are creating. There is a sense that I am imbuing admiration, respect and belonging to the solid form of the tree, plants and the artwork as well. I would like the viewer to be removed from current time and space, and drawn into the work so they might experience what I have translated. It is no longer a thing, but a trigger for the expression of feeling.”
“This exhibition reflects the twenty years of building relationships with artists locally, regionally, nationally and internationally,” stated exhibition co-curator Erin Genia. “Native artists are using so many different methods for expressing themselves and we really wanted to display as many of those methods as possible. The result is we have close to ninety beautiful pieces of art, treasures really, that make up this exhibition.”
The subjects and techniques exhibited by the Longhouse artists draw from a diverse range of stylistic traditions, which arise from cultural teachings, ancestral lineages, and each artist’s unique experiences as indigenous peoples. Works on display include paintings, drums, carving, beadwork, photography, baskets, and jewelry.
“As a curator of this exhibition it’s such an awe-inspiring experience to hear from the artists themselves as to the perspective and inspiration behind their artwork,” added fellow co-curator Linley Logan. “We have artists who are very traditional and roots oriented; artists who use the natural resources around them to showcase their creativeness. In a contemporary lifestyle in nature, we’ve continued to use the resources around us which now include materials other than natural materials. We’ve come full circle in our intent to build upon the past and vision into the future creatively and intellectually as indigenous people.”
Cedar Bark Fedora. Patti Puhn (Squaxin Island). 2016. Red and yellow cedar bard, sinew, pheasant feathers.
Sustaining Traditions for Future Generations. Kelly Church. Grand Traverse Bay of Ottawa and Chippewa. 2014. Black ash, sweetgrass, Rit dye, black ash bark, black ash splints.
I Believe in Falcons. Kayeri Akweks (Upper Mohawk, Six Nations Reserve). 2015. Watercolor, graphite, prisma, red iron oxide on 100% rag paper. “I recognize that there are two cores of identity within me and at their fundamental, both have direct internal attachment to and beliefs in the land as a constant spiritual force. Indigenous people know things – the land gives authentic direction about how to live. The land can and will offer instructions about healing. In my experience, I’ve consistently found that all of nature communicates concerning their healing properties, that lying directly next to the earth will comfort you and send love into your pain, that there is strengthening power in expressing gratitude, that self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others is about cleaning one’s own soul. Lately, I have added these: that love can and does heal anything and everything, that connecting to Creator/Source daily makes more love, clarity, and cleans the earth – and somehow helps ancestors who in turn are more available to assist.”
The exhibition was on display from March 31 – May 11. The House of Welcome was gracious to allow syəcəb staff a private tour of the exhibition so that we could share amazingly creative and exceptional Native art with our readers over the next couple issues.
Hibulb Cultural Center Film Series Event presents “For the Next Seven Generations” a film documenting the work of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, tonight beginning at 6pm.
