Articles
No. 3 (2024): Contemporary Kanata: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Canadian Studies
Indigenous Beadwork: Drawing Together Images from Indigenous Literature: An Alternative Epistemology
Résumé
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.
Références
- Dimaline, Cherie. (2017). The Marrow Thieves. Dancing Cat Books.
- Elliott, Alicia. (2021). A Mind Spread Out on the Ground. Thorndike Press.
- Highway, Thompson. (1999). Kiss of the Fur Queen. Random House.
- King, Thomas. (2003). The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative. House of Anansi Press Inc.
- 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/
- Lirette, Isabella. (2022) [Indigenous Beadwork on faux leather case]. Photographed by Isabella Lirette April 10th, 2023.
- Lirette, Isabella. (2022) [Indigenous Beadwork on faux leather case, close-up image of beaded buffalo and flame]. Photographed by Isabella Lirette April 10th, 2023.
- 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.
- 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.
