Art reflects cultural survival

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Janice Acoose, Windspeaker Columnist

A prophecy popularly referred to in our communities maintains that our future cultures will flourish and the artists, musicians, dancers, writers, and other visionaries will

Page 4

A prophecy popularly referred to in our communities maintains that our future cultures will flourish and the artists, musicians, dancers, writers, and other visionaries will lead the way to a cultural renaissance. In my mind, this prophecy reflects the sophisticated wisdom of Native Elders who understood and recognized the importance of art in the preservation of future cultures.

Currently in the Native art world there is an excitingly energetic movement underway which respectfully acknowledges the traditions and ways of our ancestors while progressively adapting to more contemporary artistic demands. Many of these artists also educate consumers through their work by moving beyond fictitious, singular, pan-Indian representations to realistic and culturally specific representations. Numerous artists celebrate our survival by calling attention to the beauty and strength within their cultures.

And then there are those who offend delicate white sensibilities by representing horrific pain and sadness (which too many of us remember and share) as they call attention to historic injustices, like colonial tyranny, forced segregation through the reserve system and Metis road allowances, residential schools, and various forms of abuse. Still others use their work to explore their cultural roots which have too often been severed by residential schools or the white foster home experience.

Working as an artist can be painful and frustrating for many contemporary Natives who struggle to find balance between cultural ideals and the so-called aesthetic conventions (which are as a rule dictated by Euro-Canadian standards). Remaining grounded in one's cultural soil is painstakingly frustrating - especially when funding to support artistic initiatives is too readily handed out to artists who confirm to standards set from outside our cultures.

Art in its many different forms affirms our sense of self, reflects or contemporary lives as well as our history, and testifies to our survival and continuity as people. Because art, music, dance, literature, and drama is much more than an elusive energy that exists outside our beings it is vitally important that we remain strongly connected to our cultures and continue to represent our own realities. Who can represent Native peoples' reality better than those whose roots are nurtured in a cultural memory that extends well beyond the Euro-Canadian experience?