Not Forgotten Hoodie

When I was asked to create an image for an MMIWG piece of art, a couple of things ran through my mind. First, the heaviness of the topic. Second, how the mystery of these occurrences can take your breath away. How do we create hope? What do you think of when you smudge?

I think of all the ancestors and what their dreams may have been. The weight of their actions is what kept us alive as a people, and the mystery of their absence is what keeps us hopeful. When we smudge, we continue the lived experience of an activity that has been done for centuries. We experience the past, present, and future. It is an access point for us to participate in a shared moment. I wanted to create a visual that would communicate what I imagined when I would smudge with my students while I worked at Niji Mahkwa School. No school is an easy place to work, and this school is no exception.

Maintaining a balance of positivity in one’s own mind/classroom can be a battle, so I drew from a place that I hoped for and visited in my mind during those morning smudges. We were part of a community that was experiencing loss, and smudging was a way to honor our loved ones. I encourage anyone to share their gifts in any way they can to end violence, and will leave you with the words of Ryan Redcorn in his poem To the Indigenous Woman -