Are you following our Instagram Live series? We are hosting a series of casual fun conversations Thursdays at 11 am around cultural art, special announcements, and exciting work happening. Watch our origin story here, how has Heart Berry changed over the years? Today (June 25, 2020) Hannah and Michelle chatted over coffee about moccasin making, and how this artist wants you to be a maker of moccasins! Next week we will have an exciting interview with photographer Nedahness Greene about the role of photography in Indigenous communities. Watch for that July 2 at 11 am. Photo by Nedahness Greene And Thursday July 9, we are very excited to be having a conversation with Inspired...
As the Minnesota Historical Society Residency wraps up, Heart Berry artist Agaton Howes shared about this important project, their journey, and why cultural art matters.
My Grandma was not one of those fun grandmas. At her house we did not make messes or have sleepovers. She was a boarding school survivor, strict catholic, and quite frankly as a kid she scared me. As my grandma grew into her last years though I was a budding geneologist, cultural artist, and loved photos. I loved to ask her about her life, about pictures, and about our shared childhood home on Reservation road. She was not a maker. I never saw her create art of any kind. So why name the moccasin book Nookomis Obagijigan? Kadina was sent to Red Lake Boarding School in 1923. She grew up the child of the nuns who beat her. I don't know...
We are often referred to as Anishinaabe/Indigenous/Native people as living in two worlds. I reject this notion and believe we live in one. We are the people of confluence and adaptation. Last week during a residency at an elementary school a student asked me "Why do you have the Indian things?" "Do you have electricity?" I told her "We are all of these things. We are living both our ancestors ways and we have internet. My kids learn their language and play fortnite. WE GET TO BE IT ALL. Isn't That amazing??" Instead of seeing ourselves as the recipients of endless trauma and deficit perhaps we should consider how we are the thriving recipients of thousands of years of adaptation,...
Yesterday the Nokomis Obagijigan project was fortunate to spend some time with Animikiikwe, Christina Woods, from Bois Forte. She shared her split toe moccasin style, pattern, and sewing style she learned from Margaret Hill (Mille Lacs). Christina took the time to look at our attempts-some better than others- at this style, help us learn about materials, puckering, and how we can improve what we are doing. We are all learners. One of the big pieces of this residency with the Minnesota Historical Society is the opportunity to learn and grow ourselves. As a round toe moccasin maker, we feel confident in our ability to both create, teach, and make patterns from this style. But the split toe, quite frankly, has...
