Four Tsi Snaihne School Students Submit Artworks to the Indigenous Arts and Stories Competition

Submitted by Jacey Rourke, AMBE Communications Officer

Tsi Snaihne School wishes four artists the best of luck with their culturally influenced art submission for the Indigenous Arts and Stories competition run by Historica Canada of Toronto.

Reannon Lazore (Grade 2) made a teepee for her submission. Her inspiration comes from her two indigenous backgrounds: Mohawk and Cree. When she visits her mother's community in Mistassini she sees many teepees, especially during moose and goose hunting season as the locals smoke their catch. Both her parents have taught her the tradition of hunting for food.

Ocean Lazore (Grade 3) created Haudenosaunee corn. She was inspired by the story "The Three Sisters." The three sisters are represented by the main crops, corn, beans and squash. The plants were grown together to help each other grow. Ocean explains how her grandmother and her make corn soup. This quality time spent together makes her feel connected to the three sisters story as her grandmother helps her grow. The colours in her art represent the changing of the seasons as well as purple to represent Akwesasne.

Ienthtatwentha Sharrow (Grade 5) painted a snipe as a portrait of herself. She connects to the snipe because it is a symbol of her lineage and identity. The snipe represents her because she inherited similar qualities from her family as well as her clan animal. As the clan animal is passed down from the mother's line, she realized how her and her mother enjoy the same interests like travel and outdoor activities. Ienthtatwentha resembled her clan animal the snipe because she remains energetic, active, while learning new things.

Travayla Back (Grade 6) created a Dream Catcher. Recently, Travayla received a dream catcher from the Powwow. Dreamcatchers are meant to stop bad dreams and allow good dreams to pass through. When she hung it in her room, she started to have less bad dreams. The dreamcatcher has helped settle many of her bad dreams. Travayla then connected the healings of the dreamcatcher to the medicine wheel and incorporated them into her artwork. The arrows represent her connection to her father. The bright colours in her art represent the dreamcatcher letting through calm and happy dreams.