Otipemisewak

The Cree people called the Metis, the people who own themselves, Otipemisewak because we followed the beat of our own drum. This collection captures the intangible spirit of the Metis culture is celebrated through this collection which features stories from my family history.

When my daughter was just a babe, I was searching for an understanding of who we were and where we came from. That summer, my mom and I took a trip to Saskatchewan. On that trip we uncovered stories from tiny museums, found photos of our ancestors that we had never seen and we began to put together our family’s story. I wondered how I would tell my brother, sister and daughter about this. So, I began to paint it. 

I’ve always wondered how Metis we were. It’s been a source of insecurity and longing. Through this process I've learned that our story is actually very Metis. I’ve found the land that we can go back to. I’ve found stories of resilience, generosity, hard work, intelligence and creativity. I’ve seen why we are called the people who own themselves.