Page 76 - Walking_The_Red_Road

The Arts Are Culture, Strengthening Community and Increasing Awareness
The arts are fundamental to urban Aboriginal communities. Creating jewellery, fur hats, leather pouches, fine art and graphic design, quilts, mukluks and moccasins are just some of the many ways our community members are engaged in the arts. Beyond these forms, music, dancing and drumming are the heartbeat and lifeblood of the community. Powwows, community feasts and events like the Shine-A-Light Gala bring the arts to life by drawing community members together, strengthening community bonds, showcasing artists, teaching and sharing traditions, and raising awareness.
In our discussions with community members, we learned how important the arts are to the individual artist and to the community. Elders often popped
by the office to share about the meaning and value
of art, as well offering suggestions about ways to
support artists. From these many discussions and survey responses, our community shared that the arts:
draw people together, build community, offer opportunities for socializing
express teachings and knowledge
preserve links to languages, traditions and between generations
offer an avenue for overcoming addictions and life’s challenges
offer supplementary income or support a small business
For many, creating and sharing art is part of their journey towards the Red Road. Drawing inspiration, strength, social support and income, community members say that participating in the arts helps overcome adversity and celebrate culture, on individual and community levels.
While Aboriginal artists share and sell their
work in both Aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities, surprisingly, Aboriginal artists
told us they sold their work more often to non- aboriginal buyers. However, few people outside of Aboriginal communities understand the deeper meanings that participating in the arts hold for us. Furthermore, Aboriginal artists identified challenges in breaking into the prominent arts market in North Bay, such as being able to
show their work at venues such as North Bay’s Capitol
Centre. For Aboriginal community members, engaging in the arts is expressing teachings or living a life involving creating and sharing. It is a process that can be time-consuming and it is about much more than earning income. The person who paints, may offer tobacco and wait for guidance, teachings and inspiration to come. It is about the process and that process often takes time.
Walking the Red Road | REPORT OF THE URBAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES THRIVE PROJECT | 76
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Another thing that really helped in the past few years was joining the drum group, Little Iron. For a long time I was just by myself, the lonely First Nation there with the long hair. And then I joined Little Iron...We’ve all just been supporting each other, helping each other, through this Red Road there. As soon as I joined up with Little Iron, we had our support system and that’s been helping me out, and helping each other out as well.
Falcon McLeod Honoured at Sine-A-Light Gala