Additional Images

Provenance:

Acquired in Kenora, ON;
Private collection, Winnipeg, MB;
Private collection, Toronto, ON

This painting was used as the basis for a series of silkscreens on linen.

Note:

In this work, Morrisseau shows us a strong and powerful Shaman, dressed in ceremonial garb. The orbs that surround him are part of a connection from head/crown to heart indicating the integration of spirit/emotion/knowledge, rather than distinct elements. This holistic approach is a cornerstone of Indigenous spiritual belief systems.

The image also serves as a representation of the artist. Like a shaman, the artist is a connection between the spirit and earthly realms and through his work is able to communicate something important to the community.

In Canada, traditional Indigenous ceremonies were banned until the 1950s. It wasn’t until the 1980s that Shamanistic rituals and ceremonies again became openly practised within communities. The German philosopher Walter Benjamin, believed that the loss of rituals posed a threat to humanity. This painting, made circa 1975, is a defiant manifesto in reclaiming the traditions and belief systems of First Nations people.

Virginia MacDonnell Eichhorn is an art historian, curator and writer who has been working within the international visual arts world for over 30 years. A contributor to numerous arts journals and catalogue essayist, her curatorial practice encompasses environmental and ecological art, feminism, material culture, presentation within non-traditional environments, and Indigenous art.