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A black canvas with the words "Contemporary Kanata" written in white, a red bar below it with phrase "interdisciplinary approaches to canadian studies in it.

Articles

No. 3 (2024): Contemporary Kanata: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Canadian Studies

Indigenous Beadwork: Drawing Together Images from Indigenous Literature: An Alternative Epistemology

DOI
https://doi.org/10.25071/2564-4661.79
Submitted
May 6, 2025
Published
2025-05-13 — Updated on 2025-07-08
Versions

Abstract

During the fall of 2022, I participated in an independent study in Indigenous Literatures at Mount Allison University. An important part of this study was examining different themes and images emphasized in the literature I read. I decided to express the knowledge I had gained through a beadwork project on a faux leather file holder (See image 1). Beading has been a way for me to feel more connected to my Indigeneity, and I am very honoured to be able to wear my beads and practice the art of beadwork as a Mi’kmaw woman. This artistic piece brings together some important themes and images from four Indigenous-authored texts: Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves, Alicia Elliot’s A Mind Spread Out on the Ground, Thompson Highways, Kiss of the Fur Queen, and Thomas King’s The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative. Together, these images tie together themes of Indigenous pride, love, resilience, community, and respect. The connectivity between the multiple books is reinforced by bringing these images together.

References

  1. Dimaline, Cherie. (2017). The Marrow Thieves. Dancing Cat Books.
  2. Elliott, Alicia. (2021). A Mind Spread Out on the Ground. Thorndike Press.
  3. Highway, Thompson. (1999). Kiss of the Fur Queen. Random House.
  4. King, Thomas. (2003). The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative. House of Anansi Press Inc.
  5. Lee, Yelin. G. (2022, March 9). Rebekah Stevens finds healing through traditional indigenous beadwork. The Peak. Retrieved February 17, 2023, from https://the-peak.ca/2022/03/rebekah-stevens-finds-healing-through-traditional-indigenous-beadwork/
  6. Lirette, Isabella. (2022) [Indigenous Beadwork on faux leather case]. Photographed by Isabella Lirette April 10th, 2023.
  7. Lirette, Isabella. (2022) [Indigenous Beadwork on faux leather case, close-up image of beaded buffalo and flame]. Photographed by Isabella Lirette April 10th, 2023.
  8. Lirette, Isabella. (2022) [Indigenous Beadwork on faux leather case, close-up image of beaded night sky and feather]. Photographed by Isabella Lirette April 10th, 2023.
  9. Lirette, Isabella. (2022) [Indigenous Beadwork on faux leather case, close-up images of smaller beaded buffalo and white seed bead lining]. Photographed by Isabella Lirette April 10th, 2023.