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CREE VIEW OF COSMOS

Art installation celebrates 13 moons

JOCELYN BENNETT

The last step of the 13-piece installation anohc kipasikônaw/we rise/ niipawi (Cree, English, Michif) was placed in Gordon Snelgrove Gallery at the University of Saskatchewan on Tuesday.

Reclaimed from a staircase in the Thorvaldson Building on campus, 13 slate steps have been handcarved with Cree syllabics that represent the traditional names of the 13 moons. The installation of the 13th and final stone coincides with nôcihitowipîsim, “Rutting Moon.”

Led by artists Lyndon Tootoosis, Sandy Bonny and Vanessa Hyggen, the collaborative art project was conceived as a way to celebrate Indigenous knowledge systems.

A sculptor for more than 25 years, Tootoosis brought the premise of working with the moons to the project.

“No matter what land, no matter what continent, no matter what blood flows in you, your people trace their passages back to following the cycles of the moon,” he said.

The slate steps have been gradually eroded over more than 100 years in the Thorvaldson Building. Now that they have been replaced in renovations, they will continue to symbolize the passage of time.

“These steps, they show 107 years of travel of students, up and down ... I tried to save that wear on top. That rock has been on this earth for 500 million years, and it has witnessed the moon every time it's changed,” said Tootoosis.

Launched during Indigenous Achievement Week in February 2020, the installation was organized by the College of Arts and Science.

Students, faculty and staff were invited to participate in hand-carving the stairs. Students from across campus, including many in the Indigenous Student Achievement

Pathways program, responded to the call.

“Carving these stair treads with Cree syllabics was a symbolic act. It represents decolonization, it represents the creation of space within our institution for Indigenous traditions, for languages, and for ways of knowing,” said Arts and Science Dean Peta Bonham-smith.

Installations began in October 2020 and lined up with the 13 full moon cycles until each stone was placed. Following each full moon, ISAP shared social media posts showing images of the artwork that was installed that cycle.

The completed work is now on display in the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery foyer, where it can be viewed from both inside and outside the building.

The installation has unique meaning for each of us, said Dr. Airini, provost and VP Academic at the U of S.

“For me, today, it's a reminder of the strength and potential of every Indigenous student, their journey of rising up, their destination that's ahead.”

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2021-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

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