1858 Krieghoff, Cornelius ‒ oil painting of Chaudière Falls
On April 18th, 2018, I, along with several people who live in Ottawa, took the time to visit the National Gallery of Canada for a private showing of the art of Chaudière Falls and the Islands. In the Anishinaabeg tradition we ascribe stories to our landscapes. I was fortunate to learn from the late Elder William Commanda, a language speaker, Pipe carrier, wampum bundle carrier, and story-teller about the specialness of Chaudière Falls. William told me this was the place where Creator placed the first Sacred Pipe.
Our visit to the gallery was such a special afternoon. The visit began with a discussion of how it is that the Four Sacred Elements of Water, Rock, Wind, and Fire are inherent in the pipe ceremony, and further how the Four Orders of Creation are also inherent: Rock, Water, Wind, and Fire; the Tree Nation, The Animal Nation, and finally Human Beings.
As we collectively viewed the art we respected the need for us all to take the time and enjoy each piece before we began with the interfering ritual of the click, click, clicking of our cameras. We ended with a wonderful feast where we talked about our lives and we shared our dreams for a time when the sacred is honoured.
The inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge into the event made it a more joyful time for me. I encourage everyone interested to organize a private viewing of the art of Chaudière Falls and the Islands. Here is the object list of the items:
6287 1791 Davies, Thomas‒watercolour
18504.1-2 1821 Forrest, Charles Ramus‒watercolour
42324.81 1821 Woolford, John Elliott‒watercolour
42324.82A 1821 Woolford, John Elliott‒watercolour
42324.82B 1821 Woolford, John Elliott‒watercolour
42324.84 1821 Woolford, John Elliott‒watercolour
23440 1821 Woolford, John Elliott-watercolour
29214.13 1825 Young, John Crawford‒drawing with brown wash
29214.39 1825 Young, John Crawford‒drawing with brown wash
29214.40 1825 Young, John Crawford‒drawing with brown wash
42323.38 1828 Cockburn, James Pattison‒drawing with brown wash
42323.39 1828 Cockburn, James Pattison‒drawing with brown wash
42323.40 1828 Cockburn, James Pattison‒drawing with brown wash
42323.41 1828 Cockburn, James Pattison‒drawing with brown wash
28026 1833 Pooley, Henry‒watercolour
15017 1840 Bartlett, W.H.‒pencil
34856 1857 unknown artist‒stereo view
2037 1858 Krieghoff, Cornelius‒oil painting
32401 1860 Notman, William‒stereo view
33380 1873 Topley, William James‒stereo view
33383 1875 Topley, William James‒photograph
Learn more about Chaudière Falls and the Islands and their further desecration despite the rhetoric and nation to nation and reconciliation at this link: https://watershedsentinel.ca/articles/akikodjiwan/
Below is a slideshow of the works.
Our visit to the gallery was such a special afternoon. The visit began with a discussion of how it is that the Four Sacred Elements of Water, Rock, Wind, and Fire are inherent in the pipe ceremony, and further how the Four Orders of Creation are also inherent: Rock, Water, Wind, and Fire; the Tree Nation, The Animal Nation, and finally Human Beings.
As we collectively viewed the art we respected the need for us all to take the time and enjoy each piece before we began with the interfering ritual of the click, click, clicking of our cameras. We ended with a wonderful feast where we talked about our lives and we shared our dreams for a time when the sacred is honoured.
The inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge into the event made it a more joyful time for me. I encourage everyone interested to organize a private viewing of the art of Chaudière Falls and the Islands. Here is the object list of the items:
6287 1791 Davies, Thomas‒watercolour
18504.1-2 1821 Forrest, Charles Ramus‒watercolour
42324.81 1821 Woolford, John Elliott‒watercolour
42324.82A 1821 Woolford, John Elliott‒watercolour
42324.82B 1821 Woolford, John Elliott‒watercolour
42324.84 1821 Woolford, John Elliott‒watercolour
23440 1821 Woolford, John Elliott-watercolour
29214.13 1825 Young, John Crawford‒drawing with brown wash
29214.39 1825 Young, John Crawford‒drawing with brown wash
29214.40 1825 Young, John Crawford‒drawing with brown wash
42323.38 1828 Cockburn, James Pattison‒drawing with brown wash
42323.39 1828 Cockburn, James Pattison‒drawing with brown wash
42323.40 1828 Cockburn, James Pattison‒drawing with brown wash
42323.41 1828 Cockburn, James Pattison‒drawing with brown wash
28026 1833 Pooley, Henry‒watercolour
15017 1840 Bartlett, W.H.‒pencil
34856 1857 unknown artist‒stereo view
2037 1858 Krieghoff, Cornelius‒oil painting
32401 1860 Notman, William‒stereo view
33380 1873 Topley, William James‒stereo view
33383 1875 Topley, William James‒photograph
Learn more about Chaudière Falls and the Islands and their further desecration despite the rhetoric and nation to nation and reconciliation at this link: https://watershedsentinel.ca/articles/akikodjiwan/
Below is a slideshow of the works.
Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. In 2017 she won an Ontario Court of Appeal case on sex discrimination in The Indian Act, and is an outspoken critic of the Algonquin land claims process. Recently she published Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit. You can reach her through, and see more of her work, at www.lynngehl.com
