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Description

Full-sized paddle, painted black with designs across front; back of blade is undecorated. Paddle has a flattened ovular blade, thick cylindrical shaft, with a grip that flares at the top. Central line of white dots extends from grip to throat of paddle; mirrored on either side by lines of dark blue, green, yellow, and red dots. Dot lines end at dark blue infinity symbol, which covers front of blade. Sides of infinity symbol have prairie roses and trilliums. Behind the infinity symbol is a scene of three buffalo, done in black. Buffalos are painted on a ground of blue, white, and brown; ground colours fade into one another. Artist inscription written on back, bottom edge of blade: STRENGTH IN THE DARKNESS- AA 2021. COLLABORATION: PAT CALIHOU, CARVER; Adele Arseneau, PAINTER.

Cultural Context

contemporary art

Narrative

Paddle carved by Pat Calihou, painted by Adele Arseneau. Artist statement from Adele Arseneau: Original collaboration between family and cousins. Two Metis carvers- Pat Calihou and Adele Arseneau. Pat wanted to carve a paddle for me to paint, to create a piece showing our work, culture, and heritage. The paddle is an integral cultural symbol of the Metis as they made their travels across Turtle Island via all of the water routes. When the Canadian government would not validate the Metis' rights, and sent 500 mounted militia men to deal with the Metis "problem", it set the stage for families to be displaced. In the aftermath of the Resistance, with the loss of their ways of life, families moved westward from the homeland to escape persecution. The newly formed Canadian Government continued to look down on the Metis, giving the land they settled on to immigrant settlers, continually displacing them from 1900 to 1960. As roads were being built to population centres, the Metis found they could live in the road allowance, a 200-300 metre space along the roadside, without having people move into their homes or burn them down. This earned them the nickname of the Road Allowance People. This piece acknowledges this history, the loss of the buffalo and the resilience of the prairie people (Prairie Rose and Trillium) as they kept their families together and thrived.