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Autumn Smith - Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada

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Autumn Smith Artist Gallery Contact Autumn Smith Magnetawan First Nation My name is Autumn Smith, I am an Ojibway artist, member of […]

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ARTIFACT Link / embed code

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CONTEST Follow @proudlyindigenouscrafts on IG and comment here with 3 emojis for a chance to win a bracelet created by Cheryl Fennell - Snowfly #ad

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@shinanova
CONTEST Follow @proudlyindigenouscrafts on IG and comment here with 3 emojis for a chance to win a bracelet created by Cheryl Fennell - Snowfly #ad
♬ Love Song - Nukariik

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ARTIFACT Link / embed code

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqtmmXvLqtw&t=1s

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This mixtape contains several kinds of artwork created by Indigenous artists, such as poetry, visual art, music, and TikTok’s. I chose the song Wendigo by Anachnid because it confronts harmful Indigenous stereotypes and reshapes how society views Indigenous peoples. A poem by Astokomi Smith is included because it shed light on indigenous women who are missing and murdered in Canada. TikTok Content by Shina Novaliinga is a great example of representation of indigenous worldviews and the conservation of traditional practices.  Lastly, I also included a beautiful art piece by Autumn Smith because it's a perfect example of visual imagery and symbolism. Overall, this mixtape includes meaningful and carefully chosen resources that we can all learn from and move forward with a better understanding of Indigenous views.

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Indigenous Arts & Stories - I am 10 years old

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Here are 3 traditional Inuit items which are all handmade! Happy Inuit Day😊 @kayuulanova #inuit #ulu #qulliq #kamik #culture

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@shinanova
Here are 3 traditional Inuit items which are all handmade! Happy Inuit Day😊 @kayuulanova #inuit #ulu #qulliq #kamik #culture
♬ original sound - Shina Nova

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Proud of our people's resilience and strength @kayuulanova #inuit #throatsingers #culture #resilience

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@shinanova
Proud of our people's resilience and strength @kayuulanova #inuit #throatsingers #culture #resilience
♬ original sound - Shina Nova

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Smith, Autumn. Untitled Artwork. Year unknown. Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada, https://indigenousartscollective.org/autumn-smith/#gallery.

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I chose a painting by Autumn Smith of the Ojibway First Nation to include in my mixtape because it shows lyrical and visual imagery.

The first thing I noticed when looking at this painting was the dome, or almost like a tent, with a grandmother and children gathered around the fire. This relates to the Indigenous ways of knowing, which include storytelling.  In the art, the warm orange tones of the fire create a sense of warmth and comfort. These colors contrasting against the cool blues of the night sky, which give it a peaceful and calm feeling. The arrangement of the painting, like the flowing lines in the river, the trees and animals surrounding the family, gives it a peaceful, natural feeling showing how Indigenous communities lived in harmony before colonization. The painting is telling a story and making a connection through what you see, which is essentially what visual imagery is.

Looking at this painting, my initial thoughts were that it was so beautiful. The bold colors and the abstract art really brought the piece together. This painting also reminded me of the book Indian Horse. In the book, Saul tells his life story, which is what the whole book is about. At the beginning, the story describes the storytelling circle at the New Dawn Centre. That circle feels similar to the one in this painting where people gather to share stories and connect to let go of trauma. I believe this painting is important for others to engage with because I think the painting really shows lyrical and visual imagery in many ways and how there is a deep connection between people, nature, and traditions. It also helps others learn about the Indigenous way of life through this painting and teaches the importance of respecting Indigenous culture and history.

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Johns, Jessica. Bad Cree. Scribe Publications, 2023.

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Novalinga, Shina. [Shinanova]. "Proud of our peoples resilience and strength." Tiktok, 17, April. 2021, https://www.tiktok.com/@shinanova/video/6952295303156354309?_r=1&_t=ZM-8t91x8DzQEI

Novalinga, Shina. [Shinanova]. "I want to show you my favourite peices from Proudly Indigenous Crafts & Designs." Tiktok, 11, June. 2021, https://www.tiktok.com/@shinanova/video/6972613916492958982?_r=1&_t=ZM-8t91w1OoxU5

Novalinga, Shina. [Shinanova]. "Here are 3 traditional inuit items which are all handmade." Tiktok, 6, November. 2021, https://www.tiktok.com/@shinanova/video/7027654343495142661?_r=1&_t=ZM-8ssZ2FGn61N

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Kiki Harper. “Windigo.” YouTube, 27 Feb. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqtmmXvLqtw.

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Smith, Astokomii. “I Am 10 Years Old.” 2018. Our Story: Indigenous Arts and Stories, Historica Canada, http://www.our-story.ca/winners/writing/6443:i-am-10-years-old

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I chose the novel Bad Cree by Jessica Jhons of the Sucker Creek First Nation to include in my mixtape because it contains significant symbolism. For example, crows are one of the novels key symbols. In the book, the main character, Mackenzie, frequently sees crows in the nightmares she has about her sister, Sabrina. She believes the crows are sending her a warning and is convinced they mean something bad is going to happen. The crows don’t just appear in her dreams, but they start showing up in real life too. Mackenzie notices them on her way to work and even sat on the fence outside her apartment. Things get even weirder when she wakes up and finds a dead crow in her bed, realizing, "The crow's head I was clutching in my dream is now in bed with me"(Johns 1).   At first, I thought the crows symbolized guilt and distrust. They act as a reminder of the things Mackenzie hasn’t dealt with, almost like they are blaming her for not being able to move on from her sister’s death. Later in the story, the author reveals that the crows appear as protectors that help protect Mackenzie from the evil wendigo. The crows not only symbolize safeguarding but symbolize grief, and the power of family and community. Greif because they are a reminder of her sister’s death and family because the crows guide Mackenzie to her family and community showing her, she doesn’t have to face her struggles alone. This book impacted me as I learned about Cree culture including the wendigo, an evil spirit who terrorizes others with terrible evil acts, including cannibalism. Reading books like Bad Cree give more attention to Indigenous authors which is crucial. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel because it introduced me to a new genre of Indigenous authors and their powerful stories.

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I chose Tiktok clips by Shina Novalinga of the Inuit nation to include in my mixtape because they show representation of Indigenous worldviews and traditional practices. In the first video I chose Shina teaches her viewers about three traditional Inuk tools that most people don’t know about.  Shina shows the uluk, a women’s knife, the qulliq which is a traditional oil lamp, and kamik, waterproof boots.  This TikTok educated me about traditional practices and showed representation of Inuk tools. For example, Shina explained that the qulliq is not just a tool it shows how the Inuit people adapted to the harsh arctic environment and used resources like the oil lamp to survive. Shina also explained that it has cultural meaning because families would gather around it for warmth and light. By sharing this TikTok, Shina helps educate people about Inuit traditions as well as informs viewers where most of the resources we have today came from. I believe this is important for others to engage with because it’s a way people can learn about Inuit culture and traditions in a way that feels raw and real. TikTok’s like Shina don’t oversimplify or sugarcoat anything, it’s true authentic information.

In the second Tiktok Shina is throat singing with her mother while wearing traditional Inuit clothing. This represents Indigenous traditional practices because it highlights a part of Inuit culture and show indigenous are reclaiming their traditions after colonization. Shina states “There was a time when Christian missionaries thought throat singing was demonic. We were told to stop, but we are proud to embrace our identity and keep our culture alive.”  This shows how colonizers tried to erase indigenous traditions by putting children into residential schools and punishing them if they spoke their mother’s tongue.  It also shows how Indigenous are trying to revive their cultural practices by sharing it with others who are not aware about it. While watching the video, I was very shocked, mainly because I was thinking about how something so beautiful and meaningful could be labeled as demonic. Watching Shina and her mother throat singing showed me how much harm was done by trying to erase these traditions. It taught me how important it is to support Indigenous cultures to keep them alive.

In the last video, Shina explains that in her culture, animals provide for her people, and she shows her favorite pieces from different Indigenous businesses. Not only is she representing her culture by sharing these cultural items, but she’s also explaining where the materials come from and why they’re important. Many non-Indigenous people think that Indigenous practices like hunting seals or whales harm sea life and lead to extinction, but that’s not true. Indigenous people use every part of the animal—meat, skin, fur—nothing is wasted. This reminded me of first contact when Jamie- Sue got anxious when they were hunting for seals when no part goes to waste. In this video, Shina helps educate others about this. My insight is that supporting Indigenous businesses is so important because it gives Indigenous people the chance to share their culture and traditions while also profiting from their work. Plus, you’re getting authentic materials. This video is a great reminder of why supporting these businesses while educating ourselves is so important.

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The song “Windigo” by Anachnid of the Oji-Cree nation was chosen because of its Postcolonial characteristics, specifically resisting stereotypes. For example, in the song, Anachnid says, “Yes I drink and yes I smoke,” which mentions false stereotypes of how Indigenous peoples are seen as addicts in the media. This line shows how Anachnid is confronting these harmful stereotypes by acknowledging them in her song but also refusing to let them define her as an Indigenous person. By bringing up these stereotypes in her music, she makes the listener question whether what they hear about Indigenous peoples is accurate. She also encourages the listener to think about how these stereotypes can harm Indigenous communities more than people realize. The song resists these stereotypes by showing that the singer is a strong artist who is claiming her Indigenous identity.

To add on, the singer also says, “This is our brand, this is my clan, they tried to wipe us out,” where she gets her point across that Indigenous people have resisted colonization since the beginning. This line shows how colonizers tried to erase Indigenous culture, language, and traditions, but Indigenous peoples have tried to keep them alive and pass them on to future generations.

Lastly, one specific line in the song, “We don’t pay tax, this is our land,” reminded me of the First Contact show we watched in class. During the show, Ashley repeatedly mentioned that her tax money was going toward Indigenous communities thinking that the money was being misused. This line from the song challenges those misconceptions by reminding people that Indigenous peoples had rights to the land long before colonization. It also focuses and educating yourself before spreading false information and stereotypes.

This song was really powerful, and I think it wouldn’t be the same if the singer had done it differently. The song also made me think about how stereotypes affect the way people view Indigenous communities. I learned that through music, we can break down these harmful ideas and spread factual information.

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I chose a poem by Astokomii Smith of the Siksika nation to include in my mixtape because it addresses postcolonial concerns specifically about the neglect in murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls’ cases.  In the poem, it states, “My body was found 16 days later. No fingerprints, No DNA, not a trace left behind.” The police system in Canada lacks urgency in solving cases with Indigenous women and girls. During colonization, the police were originally set up to monitor Indigenous activities and prevent cultural practices like the Powwow or Sundance from happening. The role of the police during was not to protect or help Indigenous communities but to enforce laws that aimed to bring down indigenous peoples. The repeated phrase “A man, with the gentlest smile” stresses how predators still target Indigenous girls even if they follow social expectations like stated in the poem “I dress like all the white girls? I talk like all the white girls. Not an ounce of Aboriginality was inside me. Except for my blood. But still, I was a target.” Indigenous women are targeted because society often dehumanizes and sexualizes them. This means they are seen as less important and more vulnerable to violence. Stereotypes portray them as objects, which makes it easier for people to harm them without facing consequences. The girl’s voice in the poem humanizes the issue, reminding readers that behind every Amber Alert or every statistic is a real-life person whose story deserves to be heard.  This poem impacted me because it put the issue into a perspective that makes it personal. This connects to Surviving the City, the book we read in class, which is also about murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. It showed how they feel pressure to act and look a certain way to be accepted, but even then, they aren’t truly safe. It is very important for others to engage with this because it raises awareness about the MMIWG crisis and urges people to spread awareness, protest, speak up, reflect on what they can do to help, and demand justice for those who have been forgotten.