(acrylic on paper, 22"x 33")
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FROM TEACHING WIGWAM
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TO SHINGWAUK UNIVERSITY
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"Shingwauk's
Vision: The Teaching Wigwam"
by Jesse
Agawa
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Jesse Agawa's painting
portrays
Chief Shingwauk's vision
of the
"Teaching Wigwam".
The Chief and the sweatlodge
are enclosed in a circle,
a turtle symbolic of the island
continent
of North America.
Holding his medicine bag
he offers his tobacco so that
his vision will be fulfilled.
The eagles see and protect the vision.
The drum, pipe, thunderbird, and
four colours
reflect his foundations and intentions
--
respect, peace, wisdom, and harmony
with the earth and all people.
The children stand on firm ground
between the pines.
They study the books that will assist
in the way forward. |
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Chief Shingwauk, 'The
Pine' (1773-1854),
envisaged
schools as part of a self-determination strategy for the Anishnabek People.
Committed to a project of cultural synthesis and modern community development,
in 1832 he led a delegation from Bawating (Sault Ste. Marie) to York (Toronto)
to petition Governor Colbourne for teachers. The Reverend William McMurray,
a Church of England missionary/teacher, was sent to Sault Ste. Marie and
in 1833 the first 'Shingwauk' School was built on Pim Hill. Eleven schools
from Lake Huron to the Rocky Mountains followed. In 1971 Algoma University
College relocated to the campus of the century-old Shingwauk Indian Residential
School. In 1991 the College accepted a proposal that it become Shingwauk
University, an independent First Nations/Canadian cross-cultural university
committed to serving both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. |
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Jesse Agawa is from
Goulais Bay on the east coast of Lake Superior. A traditional Ojibway upbringing
nurtured in him an identity and awareness deeply rooted in his people and
their land. His art, developed over many years, combines traditional forms
with vibrant colours that offer unique expression to his inspiration. The
visions which inspire appear in dreams and other experiences. A strong
supporter of community projects, Jesse's works have featured in books,
cards, prints and posters, on several occasions nationally. |
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