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I thought English was my language

apparently it isn’t

I thought Halkomelem was gibberish

the devil’s language

that’s what the nuns said

apparently not

Some white guy sets me straight:

Aboriginal people are losing languages

Funny, thought I had it just a moment ago

maybe it’s in Gramma’s old shoebox

maybe it's sandwiched between papers

in plastic bags hidden under mom’s bed

Hey, has anyone seen my language?

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Do you speak your language? I stare — I just said: how are you? I thought English was my language apparently it isn’t I thought Halkomelem was gibberish the devil’s language that’s what the nuns said apparently not

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This is my English FSE project that is a collection of powerful and meaningful indigenous painters, poets and indigenous based podcasts and short films. My first artifact is a short film called Little Chief, this short film is about identity and the struggles within a community, this a good example of visual imagery and what a lot of indigenous people struggle with the lack of support and feeling like they fit in. Next is a podcast that shines light on the horrible postcolonial issues going on to Indigenous people in Thunder Bay, this is a good example of what is currently going on in our world and a great way to spread awareness. Next is a poem by Maracle Lee called language, this poem is about losing her language and her culture in Residential schools, this is a great example of historical Indigenous issues, intergenerational trauma and its effects on the Indigenous community. Next is a painting by Tim Pitsiulak, this a painting of a man cutting a whale with traditional Indigenous tools, this is a great example of traditional practices and history in the Indigenous community. Lastly is a novel called Hunting by Stars, this novel shows the struggles that Indigenous people face for being “different” this book highlights on trauma and survival and it's a very good example of symbolism and inequality.

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Exhibition opened November 15, 2015

Over the last decade, Tim Pitsiulak has become one of the most sought-after contemporary Inuit artists. Born in Kimmirut but now residing in Cape Dorset, he currently divides his time between drawing in Kinngait Studios and spending time on the land, which he refers to as 'his office'. A skilled hunter, he provides food for his family and many of the elders in Cape Dorset. His respect and knowledge of the local wildlife is essential to his works. Therefore, his subject matter primarily stems from the local landscape, Arctic wildlife and ancient culture and myths, all skilfully drawn in pencil crayon and ink.

South Baffin Way is Tim Pitsiulak's fourth solo exhibition at Feheley Fine Arts. Seven of the images form what the artist refers to as the Parka Series. Most of these depict shaman animal transformations wearing parkas. Pitsiulak's wonderful sense of humour is evident; describing the drawing titled Foxy, the artist notes that the wolf is "wearing a sexy parka with nail polish on her toes". Others in the series are simply beautifully rendered drawings ranging from a dancing red fox/shaman to a weasel in a startling bright orange parka.

The title of the exhibition, South Baffin Way, comes from one of the drawings that depicts the age old tradition of butchering and sharing country food. This imagery starkly contrasts This Is How We Do It, which illustrates a scene from present-day Arctic life as Pitsiulak explains that they have to repair their own snow machines, outdoors, even in the winter.

New technology has informed several of the drawings in this exhibition. The artist recently acquired a GoPro camera which has allowed him to capture the sights and sounds of the underwater world. This inspired his drawing of colourful kelp waving in the current as well as several other drawings that reference the sounds made by the whales and seals.

Some of these new drawings utilize negative space to make an impact, while many of his earlier drawings were overflowing with detail. Most are on black paper. In This Is How We Do It, Pitsiulak uses highlights created with white pencil crayon to indicate that the figure is repairing the snow machine at night. Pitsiulak enjoys the effect of brighter colours on the black background. In Red Fox from the Parka Series, the artist uses blood red, bright orange and ochre colouring. These provide a striking rich contrast that leaps off the black background.

Since his first solo exhibition in 2009, Pitsiulak has steadily received recognition and admiration. He was recently commissioned by Cadillac Fairview to create an original artwork for the TD South Tower Lobby in Toronto. In 2013, he designed the face of a specialty 'Life in the North' quarter and three-dollar silver coin. That same year, his drawings were selected for the international indigenous exhibition Sakahàn at the National Gallery of Canada. Most recently, his drawings were featured in prominent group exhibitions such as Northern Narratives at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and Shine a Light at the National Gallery of Canada. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, and TD Bank Financial Group.
To view available artworks by Tim Pitsiulak, click here.

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Tim Pitsiulak: South Baffin Way - Feheley Fine Arts - Inuit Art Gallery

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Tim Pitsiulak has become one of the most sought-after contemporary Inuit artists. Born in Kimmirut but living in Cape Dorset.

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The verdict arrives in the trial that everyone's talking about. Can there be justice? As Thunder Bay grapples with the truth about itself, people are still dying. Kids are still dying. So where do we go from here?

The verdict arrives in the trial that everyone's talking about. Can there be justice? As Thunder Bay grapples with the truth about itself, people are still dying. Kids are still dying.

So where do we go from here?

Support us here: canadaland.com/join.

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The verdict arrives in the trial that everyone's talking about. Can there be justice? As Thunder Bay grapples with the truth about itself, people are still dying. Kids are still dying. So where do we go from here?

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56969519-hunting-by-stars?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ZBN5HtsQkw&rank=1

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A new story about hope and survival. Years ago, when pl…

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Maracle, Lee, Language. ARP Books, 2015

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Youtube, little Cheif. Omeleto, 2021

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Pitsiulak, Tim, South Baffin Way, 2015.

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Canada Land, Criminally Responsible

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Bonadonna, Carly, Hunting By Stars. Harry N. Abrams, 2021.

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I chose this poem called “language’ by Maracle Lee of the Stó:lō Nation to include in my mixtape because I think it's a great example of historical Indigenous issues. In the poem it says “I thought English was my language apparently it isn't” this shows how disconnected some indigenous are with their cultural because of issues like residential schools and assimilation. As generations go on more people aren't learning about their cultural traditions and language because the generations before them learned that it was bad and forced to forget. “The devils' language, that's what the nun said” This shows how mistreated indigenous people were in residential schools, how much of a physical and mental impact it made on their community and how much it contributed to them loosing connection with their culture. I think it's important for everyone to be aware and educate themselves about that horrible events and traumas Indigenous people have gone through because it gives non Indigenous people the oppportunity to try and understand what they went through and what struggles came out of it, in my opinion this poem did a very good job on sending a powerful and significant message about trauma and their experiences

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I chose to include this short film called Little Chief by Omeleto of the Seneca Cayuga Nation to include in a mix tape because I think it's a good example of visual imagery. For example, when the little girl is being bullied and tries to run away from school, this gives the viewers and visual of how much she was struggling and how it affected her. Throughout the film the little girl looked sad, tired and unmotivated, being able to see her face really helped me deeper understand her emotions and how she feels. Being able to see the situation play out gives the viewers a different perspective on the character's emotions and gets to discover things that can't be described in words. I connect this short film to a movie that we watched in class called flashback, both stories are about a teenager/ teenagers just trying to fit into there community and live a unconfrontational life. In my opinion It's important to see that problems within the Indigenous community doesn't just affect the older generations, it can affect anyone at any age and any stage in their life

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I chose this painting by Tim Pitsiulak of the Kinngait nation to include in my mix tape because it shows traditional practices. In the painting there is a man cutting into a whale, using traditional tools and wearing traditional Indigenous clothing. There are many examples of traditional practice throughout the painting, but a few examples are the tools shown like spears and an ulu which is the grey rounded tool towards the bottom of the painting, they use not just to hunt their food but also to prepare it by separating the skin from the animal. Another example would be the clothes being worn in this painting which are usually made from animal fur. In cold climates parkas, amauti and Kamiit which are boots to keep them protected from for the extreme cold weather.

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I chose this podcast called Criminally Responsible by Canada land to include in my mixtape because in my opinion I think it's an amazing example of Postcolonial characteristics. This podcast analyzes issues such has racism and discrimination, in the podcast people such as lawyers, advocates, and family members of those involved in these cases were interviewed to share their perspective on these situations. A guy part of the opposition party was interviewed, his job is to critique the ruling provincial government on its indigenous affairs file, he stated “in november 2019-early jan 2020 there was a rash of suicide attempts within our community” (7:37-7:55) This truly shows how people of all ages in the Indigenous community are poorly treated and how they don’t get the help they need. This podcast episode helped shine light on the problems that people don't usually talk about. Hearing about the different issues throughout this podcast made me think how people can others so horrible and not think it's wrong, in my opinion these topics are very important because of the lack of effort people are doing to stop them, and that why they should be brought up and talked about more

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I chose my independent reading novel called Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline of the Métis Nation to include in my mixtape because it's a good example of Symbolism. Throughout the book the Indigenous people are the only people with the ability to dream, and because of that they are being hunted down and striped of their bone marrow. “Like any home, a story has to be renovated-extended or repaired or even torn down from time to time. For us, the repair and renovation isn't always pretty’ (22) This quote symobolise that no matter what they go through they get through it and keep their head up, they try their best and most of the time it's not easy. In my opinion this is a fantastic book that everyone should read, its education while also being inspiring and carries a lot of emotion. This book does a very good job at giving detail, keeping the story line engaging and also keeping it realistic.