Lana welcomed us into her studio as she was finishing up her beautiful We Are The Medicine series in 2021
She generously shares her inspirations, hopes and responsibilities in the creation of this work, and we are deeply grateful for her time and passion.
There are diverse nêhiyaw teachings of the 13 moon calendar based the region, environment and connection to the land. This is an iskwêw exploration and retelling of grandmother moon teachings through a series of 13 oil paintings by Lana Whiskeyjack, animation by Mixed Creatives (2022).
nikawiy is a powerful verb of creating relation and growing kin. I am so grateful for nikawiy birthing me into this world and to my children for choosing me to be their mother. To be a good mother takes strong kinship relations support. I am grateful to all the fathers, aunts, uncles and grandparents who honour and help raising our future generations.
In 2014, through the Nindibaajimomim project, I transformed a narrative of trauma into one of strength. This courageous digital story explores my hysterectomy and its umbilical connection to the wombs I come from. My intention is to unsilence the history of violence against our bodies. I am deeply grateful to the iskwêwak who held this sacred space. âyihay.
On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we are reminded by our kitêhêyahak that truth must precede action. As a nêhiyaw storyteller and descendant of Blue Quills survivors, my work is a continuous journey of reconnecting to the language and ceremonies the residential school system attempted to sever.
These 2015 photographs capture a transformative moment of reclamation. While researching beauty, I photographed nikawiysis Wapiskawapakwaniy, who chose to portray her 5-year-old self—the child sent to Blue Quills IRS. Witnessing her nurture and reclaim the spirit of that young girl was a profound lesson in fortitude and healing.
This video is part of a doctoral series exploring Indigenous beauty through lived experience. Traditional Métis artist and event planner MJ discusses the significance of the traditional bone fleshing tool and its role in her journey of beauty and aging gracefully.
Digital story, oil painting, and photography by Lana Whiskeyjack.
Dedicated to the iskwêwak and napêwak who honour iskwêwêwin.
This digital story shares traditional Cree teachings on parenting, the mossbag, and the swing. Grounded in sacred protocols for knowledge gathering, the project is a collaboration between Saddle Lake Cree Nation and the University of Toronto, funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR).
Digital Story by Lana Whiskeyjack
The Belly Button Teaching by Elder Alsena White (Saddle Lake Cree Nation) shares ancestral nêhiyaw teachings on the importance of the bellybutton. Digital story by Lana Whiskeyjack, a collaboration between Saddle Lake Cree Nation and the University of Toronto. Funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.
Exploration of wâhkômâkanak (all our relations). Digital story by Lana Whiskeyjack, a collaboration between Saddle Lake Cree Nation and the University of Toronto. Funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.
Exhibition booklet
Gender is a social construction. For some societies, there are only two genders, male and female, compared to a Cree worldview of eight genders.
Each gender has specific roles and responsibilities that contribute to the health and well-being of the community. Imagine a world where gender is fluid, complex, multidimensional and a living entity, expanding from our cosmic relations to our water relations. Come see the diverse views of her from five local Edmonton artists, exploring “Because of her, I am.'
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