APRIL-MAY2008
NORVAL MORRISSEAU
Norval Morrisseau died in Canada last December. This
Ojibway artist painted and wrote about the traditions of
his people. This incurred criticism from the Ojibway
Indians who felt that their traditions should remain
hidden within their communities. We can only feel happy
nevertheless that he continued along this ethnological
path revealing to us his dreams and thoughts on the
archetypes of Indian life prior to the destruction of
that life that was brought about by the shocking
histories of mankind's aggression against diversity and a
persistent denial of other traditions than that of the
"Christians".
In 1967 his work was shown at the Pompidou, Paris in the
Exhibition Magicians of the Earth. I hope that his work
is kept under glass as they seem to be all acrylic which
has a fatal error for the future - the paint collects
dust and has a chemical effect with that and air and all
the colours are gradually bleached out to grey. It would
be tragic to lose his work that reveals such joyful
presentiments and singular strength of the spirit.
| In 1957 Morrisseau married Harriet Kakegamic
(sister of Henry, Joshim and Goyce Kakegamic) who
was from Sandy Lake Reserve northeast of Red
Lake. They met in Fort William (now Thunder Bay)
at the tuberculosis sanatorium while Morrisseau
was receiving treatment. They arrived in
Cochenour, Ontario in 1959 to work in the
Cochenour-Willans gold mine. He was tall, slim
and soft-spoken. His job in the mill was as a
“flotation operator,” watching and
adjusting a large vat of liquid gold ore and
chemicals. This two-year span has been referred
to as the longest period of steady employment
Morrisseau experienced. Fellow employees recall
Morrisseau painting during slack times on the
job. The art, sometimes on mill filter paper, was
left rolled in a corner of the mill when he had
to attend to the flotation mix. Although lacking
any formal art instruction, he had no inhibitions
about how to paint. His early materials included
birchbark, hide, plywood, building paper, fabric
scraps - anything that was at hand. There was
resistance to his art because he was breaking a
taboo by depicting beliefs and traditions of the
Ojibway culture but Morrisseau believed this task
had been given to him in a vision and was
sanctioned by his grandfather. Harriet inspired him in his work and taught him Cree syllabics, a form of writing used commonly in the North and reflected in Morrisseau's own signature of his works. Teachings of his grandfather Potan, joined with a series of dreams and visions, became the muses that Morrisseau said called him to be an artist. "My paintings are icons, that is to say, they are images which help focus on spiritual powers, generated by traditional belief and vision." Upon recovery, Morrisseau traveled to visit many traditional Ojibway villages and petroglyph sites, to nourish his artistic development and put it on canvas.norvalmorrisseau.blogspot.com/ |
They are survived by 7 children by
direct bloodline, 18 Grandchildren and 13 Great
Grandchildren.