A local aboriginal artist is keeping his ancestral traditions alive through his creations.
Jamie John-Kehewin, who has ties to both Kehewin Cree Nation and Elizabeth Métis Settlement, is one of nine artists being featured in the Carrying On Aboriginal Art Exhibit.
“The ultimate goal is to help our people remember who they are and where they came from, where their ancestors came from,” said John-Kehewin. “We've been here for a millennium. In our history of creation story, the creator placed us here and our people evolved. I'd like our young indigenous people and non-indigenous, to help them understand who we are and where we're coming from.”
Held at the Alberta Craft Council Discovery Gallery in Edmonton from June 18 to July 23, the exhibition focuses on cultural awareness and reconciliation. It features colourful bags, pouches and other similar containers created by Alberta aboriginal artists.
John-Kehewin stumbled upon the show while on a trip to Edmonton with a fellow Portage College student. The two, along with their instructor, were in the city to learn about museums and how to set up an exhibit for the school's Native Arts and Culture program. As they were touring, the group ran into someone from the Alberta Craft Council who told them about Carrying On.
“Right away they wanted us in there so we applied, submitted our works. Everything we did in the college here – your artist's bio, statements, CV, pieces. It's exciting and fun; it gives us a chance to get our art out and seen in the world,” said John-Kehewin.
The local artist submitted four works that are currently on display at the Carrying On exhibit: a deer dew claw bag, a white pine box, a waspison moss bag, and a birch bark basket.
The deer dew claw bag was made from a deer that John-Kehewin got last fall. In keeping with aboriginal tradition, they utilized every part of the deer.
As the name suggests, the bag is made out of the skin that is located above the deer's hooves. The skin is dried, lined and sewed into a bag.
The white pine box, also known as a feather box, took approximately one week to craft out of one block of wood. It is used to store a variety of traditional items such as ceremonial instruments, meats, or medicines.
“We did a relief carving on there and we utilized symbolism in our culture, our ceremonies. There's a depiction of a water bird on it, which represents life and the bringing of rain, and there's a tipi to represent the home,” explained John-Kehewin.
His third work, the waspison moss bag, is used in traditional aboriginal child rearing practices. It gives babies the sense of being back in the womb again and also helps to align the back, among other practical uses.
The final piece John-Kehewin is showcasing is a birch bark basket with artwork on the lid.
“We harvest all of the materials naturally. The only thing that was store bought is the dyes we used to colour the quills. We get the porcupine and learn how to pluck them, sort them, clean them and dye them...We also sew it together with spruce root. You dig it up and harvest as many roots as you need to sew the birch bark together.”
This wasn't John-Kehewin's first time exercising his creativity. He got his start in art back in 1999, through a native cultural fine arts program at Kehewin high school. There, he took a particular interest in film making.
After attending post-secondary schools, he has since started his own production company and has been involved in over 40 productions including films for the Bonnyville Alberta Works. Since 2005 he was been employed by the Confederacy of Treaty Six as a filmmaker.
While running his company, Piita Kihiw Productions, John-Kehewin has continued to develop his artistic ability in a variety of mediums through programs such as a the one at Portage.
“The main thing for me is basically preserving and revitalizing our people's stories and our ways,” expressed John-Kehewin. “I feel that it's important for not only our youth, but upcoming generations across this land to come to an understanding with one another.”
