NEW YORK - Norval Morrisseau, also known as Copper Thunderbird, one of Canada's most celebrated painters and an important influence in the development of North American indigenous art, died Tuesday in Toronto. He was thought to be 75, although his birth year has been listed as both 1931 and 1932.
more stories like this
The cause was complications of Parkinson's disease, said the Assembly of First Nations, which represents Canadian Native tribes.
Mr. Morrisseau, an Ojibwa (also called Anishnaabe or Chippewa) shaman, was one of the first native painters to adopt modernist styles to convey traditional aboriginal imagery and to have a crossover career in contemporary art. His style, which became known as Woodland or Legend painting, evoked ancient etchings from birch-bark scrolls and often used X-ray-like motifs: skeletal elements and internal organs visible within the forms of animals and people, and black spirit lines emanating from them.
"Saturated with startling, often contrasting colors, such paintings appear to vibrate under the viewer's gaze," said the National Gallery of Canada, which organized a retrospective of Mr. Morrisseau's work in 2006, the first solo show for a native artist in the institution's history. It is on view in Lower Manhattan through Jan. 20 at the George Gustav Heye Center, part of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.
Of a 2001 New York show of Mr. Morrisseau's drawings, made on sheets of paper towels while he was in jail in Canada in the late 1960s, Holland Cotter of The New York Times wrote: "The results aren't ingratiating or beautiful. Like visionary work in many cultures, they're aggressive, sometimes violent, as much about fearfulness as about transcendence."
Born Jean-Baptiste Norman Henry Morrisseau in northern Ontario, he was the eldest son in a family of seven and was brought up, according to tradition, by his maternal grandparents. His grandmother was Catholic and his grandfather, whom he described as his most important influence, was a shaman. Their discordant views formed the background for much of his early life and his development as a self-taught artist working between two worlds.
He was believed to have been given his native name in his teens, when he became seriously ill. He said his life was saved by a medicine woman who renamed him, calling him Copper Thunderbird; a thunderbird is a powerful symbol in Ojibwa folklore.
Mr. Morrisseau, who dropped out of school at a young age and lived much of his life in poverty even after becoming established, was known as a charismatic, often unpredictable figure in the art world. He frustrated dealers, sometimes calculating his paintings' worth not by their quality but by the square inch ($3.55 at one point, according to a gallery owner). He battled alcoholism his whole life, and at a low ebb in the 1980s, living on Vancouver's streets, was known to trade his work for liquor money.
But after the tremendous success of his first exhibition in Toronto in 1962, he was also often prolific and showed his work around the world. Marc Chagall, who met him in Paris when both artists were having exhibitions there, compared him to Picasso.
In his later years, as accolades piled up, his life became more orderly, and he continued to paint until 2002, when Parkinson's left him unable to do so. In 2005 he was elected to the Royal Society of Canada. He was also awarded honorary doctorates from McGill and McMaster universities and received the highest honor awarded by the Assembly of First Nations, the eagle feather.
"Why am I alive?" he said in a 1991 interview with The Toronto Star. "To heal you guys who're more screwed up than I am. How can I heal you? With color. These are the colors you dreamt about one night."
Summary
The summary of the articl is that he droprd out of school erley and lived most of his life living in poverty. Then after his tromendes sucsess in his first exibition in Toronto he was very sucsessful. He met with an artist from Paris and he and the other artist where compared to Picasso. At the bottom line of the articl is that if you work hard you could always become succsesful.
Qestions
1 Why do you think the lady called him the Copper Thunder bird?
2 Why do you think there is some comfusion about his year of birth?
3 Do you think he mad the wright move to drop out of school early?
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
"A LAND OF SAVAGES"
Natives decry remark as racist
Former IOC VP says reference 'historical'
JOE FRIESEN
October 18, 2008 - The Globe and Mail.
An aboriginal rights group has reported former International Olympic Committee vice-president Dick Pound to the IOC's ethics committee, accusing him of making racist and intolerant comments about Canada's native peoples and demanding that he be denounced ahead of the 2010 Games in Vancouver.
André Dudemaine, director of LandInSights, a Quebec-based aboriginal advocacy group, said Mr. Pound made comments in an interview with Montreal's La Presse newspaper in August, in which he called 17th-century Canada "a land of savages." The comments were discriminatory and contrary to the IOC code of ethics, Mr. Dudemaine said.
Mr. Pound, speaking in French in a story about the Olympics published Aug. 9, was responding to a question about the potential embarrassment of holding the Games in China, where dissidents had been jailed and a Tibetan uprising crushed.
"We must not forget that 400 years ago, Canada was a land of savages, with scarcely 10,000 inhabitants of European descent, while in China, we're talking about a 5,000-year-old civilization. We must be prudent about our great experience of three or four centuries before telling the Chinese how to manage China," Mr. Pound told journalist Agnès Gruda.
Yesterday, Mr. Pound said he had no intention of making a racist remark, and that it could be clarified by a better understanding of the context.
"I was defending the IOC [and] its choice of Beijing against assertions by the North American media," he said. "Yes, I'm sure that there's probably a more politically correct way of expressing it in this day and age. But I was saying think back to what it was like 200 or 300 years ago before you start lecturing a 5,000-year-old society. It wasn't a comment on the government of whatever the aboriginal peoples might have been. It was a comment about the U.S. in its current incarnation having a solution to everybody's problems."
Mr. Dudemaine said the use of the word "savages" is troubling, and that Mr. Pound's words suggest aboriginal people had no culture or civilization, a myth thoroughly discredited by historians.
"He just hit the nail in the middle of very old prejudices that somehow are still present in Canadian society," he said. "It is exactly this kind of statement by a very respected person that damages all of the progress we wish to make in Canada."
Mr. Pound said a fair reading would indicate this is a manufactured controversy. He said his use of the word "savages" was a historical reference.
"That was the word used at the time in all the literature by the Jesuits who were here. They were just generally les sauvages," he said.
Ghislain Picard, chief of the assembly of First Nations of Quebec, said he was outraged by Mr. Pound's comments, and called on him to resign as Chancellor of McGill University.
"Mr. Pound should himself understand the immense discourtesy of his remarks and offer to resign," the chief said.
The link to the first nations is that our studies prove that the Native Canadians did have a culture.
Summary
Mr. Dick Pound, former International Olympic Committee Vice President, and McGill University Chancellor, said that Canada 400 years ago was "a land of savages". Aboriginal rights groups have accused him as rascist and intolerant.
Former IOC VP says reference 'historical'
JOE FRIESEN
October 18, 2008 - The Globe and Mail.
An aboriginal rights group has reported former International Olympic Committee vice-president Dick Pound to the IOC's ethics committee, accusing him of making racist and intolerant comments about Canada's native peoples and demanding that he be denounced ahead of the 2010 Games in Vancouver.
André Dudemaine, director of LandInSights, a Quebec-based aboriginal advocacy group, said Mr. Pound made comments in an interview with Montreal's La Presse newspaper in August, in which he called 17th-century Canada "a land of savages." The comments were discriminatory and contrary to the IOC code of ethics, Mr. Dudemaine said.
Mr. Pound, speaking in French in a story about the Olympics published Aug. 9, was responding to a question about the potential embarrassment of holding the Games in China, where dissidents had been jailed and a Tibetan uprising crushed.
"We must not forget that 400 years ago, Canada was a land of savages, with scarcely 10,000 inhabitants of European descent, while in China, we're talking about a 5,000-year-old civilization. We must be prudent about our great experience of three or four centuries before telling the Chinese how to manage China," Mr. Pound told journalist Agnès Gruda.
Yesterday, Mr. Pound said he had no intention of making a racist remark, and that it could be clarified by a better understanding of the context.
"I was defending the IOC [and] its choice of Beijing against assertions by the North American media," he said. "Yes, I'm sure that there's probably a more politically correct way of expressing it in this day and age. But I was saying think back to what it was like 200 or 300 years ago before you start lecturing a 5,000-year-old society. It wasn't a comment on the government of whatever the aboriginal peoples might have been. It was a comment about the U.S. in its current incarnation having a solution to everybody's problems."
Mr. Dudemaine said the use of the word "savages" is troubling, and that Mr. Pound's words suggest aboriginal people had no culture or civilization, a myth thoroughly discredited by historians.
"He just hit the nail in the middle of very old prejudices that somehow are still present in Canadian society," he said. "It is exactly this kind of statement by a very respected person that damages all of the progress we wish to make in Canada."
Mr. Pound said a fair reading would indicate this is a manufactured controversy. He said his use of the word "savages" was a historical reference.
"That was the word used at the time in all the literature by the Jesuits who were here. They were just generally les sauvages," he said.
Ghislain Picard, chief of the assembly of First Nations of Quebec, said he was outraged by Mr. Pound's comments, and called on him to resign as Chancellor of McGill University.
"Mr. Pound should himself understand the immense discourtesy of his remarks and offer to resign," the chief said.
The link to the first nations is that our studies prove that the Native Canadians did have a culture.
Summary
Mr. Dick Pound, former International Olympic Committee Vice President, and McGill University Chancellor, said that Canada 400 years ago was "a land of savages". Aboriginal rights groups have accused him as rascist and intolerant.
- Do you agree with Mr. Pound's statement? Why?
- What proof do we have that Native Canadians did have a culture?
- How do you think the Native Canadians feel about this statement?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Native Conflict over Land Resources
Chiefs decry short consultation on mining reforms
Oct 10, 2008 06:02 PM
Jessica McDiarmid THE CANADIAN PRESS
Aboriginal groups are warning there will be confrontations if the Ontario government doesn't change its approach to reforming the province's Mining Act.
Stan Louttit, grand chief of Mushkegowuk Council, said First Nations aren't being included in proper consultations, and that if it continues, they won't abide by new legislation.
"If we're not part of that process and there's empty lip service in regard to wanting to work with us, then we don't feel as if we're part of the process," said Louttit, whose council represents seven Cree nations in northern Ontario.
"Anything that comes out of the Mining Act and its enforcement and whatever else, it doesn't mean anything to us."
A minimum of six months is needed to consult with communities, Louttit said.
The government sent information packages on Aug. 11 asking for feedback on its plans to reform the antiquated Ontario Mining Act, a move many First Nations supported. However, the original deadline of Oct. 15 for those submissions to be received raised much ire.
Louttit said they repeatedly complained to Premier Dalton McGuinty and key ministers, and the deadline was extended to Nov. 12 – which still isn't sufficient for the First Nations.
"The quick time frame that's being implemented by Ontario is just not conducive to proper consultation," Louttit said.
"Right now they're not doing that adequately, and they've got no one to blame but themselves in the future if a confrontation arises as a result of not fulfilling that new relationship principle that they talk about."
The government aims to have draft legislation introduced before Christmas.
Donny Morris, chief of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation, told the legislature Friday that aboriginal communities need a year to properly consult and reach a consensus on their position.
He said the government's current consultation practice of flying one or two members of a community to a central location for a ``workshop" is inadequate.
"I don't know if that can be construed as consultation," he said.
Earlier this year, Morris and his council were sentenced to six months in prison for defying a court order to stay out of the way of exploration companies Platinex and Frontenac Ventures.
More than two months after they were jailed, the Ontario Court of Appeal reduced the sentences to time served, and later ordered Platinex and the province to reimburse them for $25,000 in legal fees.
"We cannot afford to go through another heated battle with another company in the future," Morris said. "It's time we work together, look at the future – no more of this excluding aboriginal peoples from their lands and the decision making."
Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle said the ministry is "very keen to have a truly thorough consultation process."
But he said the government remains committed to the Nov. 12 deadline because there is an "active and exciting" investment climate for mining in the province.
Unless the government moves quickly to put on the table the significant amendments to the Mining Act, the investment climate could be put in peril, he said.
"Certainly the mining sector has made it clear to us that they need clarity and they need certainty," Gravelle said.
NDP critic Gilles Bisson said the time frame is "highly unfair," and he noted that First Nations have a different method of consulting, which requires taking information and options back to communities to reach consensus decisions.
"To do that takes some time," Bisson said. "These are landlocked communities – there are no roads to get into them. They're fly-in communities, by and large."
Ardoch Algonquin First Nation co-chief Bob Lovelace said the possibility of his community ignoring or protesting reforms due to a lack of consultation is a concern.
"Maybe the government isn't aware of this ... but there's a real shift in the way aboriginal people are thinking these days," said Lovelace, who spent more than three months in jail for disobeying a court order barring aboriginal protesters from a uranium exploration site they said was on their land.
"And it's not that we're thinking about blocking roads more often or escalating some sort of violent action. It's just that we're sick and tired of co-operating with government. ... And we're just not going to play the game anymore."
This article is about a native group having a say in changing the law called The Mining Act. The Mining Act is a law, and the government has giving the natives a say in this. The problem is that the natives are only being given 8 weeks to decide but they need at least 6 months to a year to give there opinion.
Questions
1:Why do you think the natives need so much time?
2:Why do you think the natives should have a say in The Mining Act at all?
3:Why do you think the government wants the natives to decide so quickly?
4: How does this conflict make the Ontario government look in other countries eyes?
Comment
This article is linked to our topic because we have been studying natives and this is a native issue. The article warns that there could be violence. This is another example of how the government treats natives badly.
Oct 10, 2008 06:02 PM
Jessica McDiarmid THE CANADIAN PRESS
Aboriginal groups are warning there will be confrontations if the Ontario government doesn't change its approach to reforming the province's Mining Act.
Stan Louttit, grand chief of Mushkegowuk Council, said First Nations aren't being included in proper consultations, and that if it continues, they won't abide by new legislation.
"If we're not part of that process and there's empty lip service in regard to wanting to work with us, then we don't feel as if we're part of the process," said Louttit, whose council represents seven Cree nations in northern Ontario.
"Anything that comes out of the Mining Act and its enforcement and whatever else, it doesn't mean anything to us."
A minimum of six months is needed to consult with communities, Louttit said.
The government sent information packages on Aug. 11 asking for feedback on its plans to reform the antiquated Ontario Mining Act, a move many First Nations supported. However, the original deadline of Oct. 15 for those submissions to be received raised much ire.
Louttit said they repeatedly complained to Premier Dalton McGuinty and key ministers, and the deadline was extended to Nov. 12 – which still isn't sufficient for the First Nations.
"The quick time frame that's being implemented by Ontario is just not conducive to proper consultation," Louttit said.
"Right now they're not doing that adequately, and they've got no one to blame but themselves in the future if a confrontation arises as a result of not fulfilling that new relationship principle that they talk about."
The government aims to have draft legislation introduced before Christmas.
Donny Morris, chief of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation, told the legislature Friday that aboriginal communities need a year to properly consult and reach a consensus on their position.
He said the government's current consultation practice of flying one or two members of a community to a central location for a ``workshop" is inadequate.
"I don't know if that can be construed as consultation," he said.
Earlier this year, Morris and his council were sentenced to six months in prison for defying a court order to stay out of the way of exploration companies Platinex and Frontenac Ventures.
More than two months after they were jailed, the Ontario Court of Appeal reduced the sentences to time served, and later ordered Platinex and the province to reimburse them for $25,000 in legal fees.
"We cannot afford to go through another heated battle with another company in the future," Morris said. "It's time we work together, look at the future – no more of this excluding aboriginal peoples from their lands and the decision making."
Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle said the ministry is "very keen to have a truly thorough consultation process."
But he said the government remains committed to the Nov. 12 deadline because there is an "active and exciting" investment climate for mining in the province.
Unless the government moves quickly to put on the table the significant amendments to the Mining Act, the investment climate could be put in peril, he said.
"Certainly the mining sector has made it clear to us that they need clarity and they need certainty," Gravelle said.
NDP critic Gilles Bisson said the time frame is "highly unfair," and he noted that First Nations have a different method of consulting, which requires taking information and options back to communities to reach consensus decisions.
"To do that takes some time," Bisson said. "These are landlocked communities – there are no roads to get into them. They're fly-in communities, by and large."
Ardoch Algonquin First Nation co-chief Bob Lovelace said the possibility of his community ignoring or protesting reforms due to a lack of consultation is a concern.
"Maybe the government isn't aware of this ... but there's a real shift in the way aboriginal people are thinking these days," said Lovelace, who spent more than three months in jail for disobeying a court order barring aboriginal protesters from a uranium exploration site they said was on their land.
"And it's not that we're thinking about blocking roads more often or escalating some sort of violent action. It's just that we're sick and tired of co-operating with government. ... And we're just not going to play the game anymore."
This article is about a native group having a say in changing the law called The Mining Act. The Mining Act is a law, and the government has giving the natives a say in this. The problem is that the natives are only being given 8 weeks to decide but they need at least 6 months to a year to give there opinion.
Questions
1:Why do you think the natives need so much time?
2:Why do you think the natives should have a say in The Mining Act at all?
3:Why do you think the government wants the natives to decide so quickly?
4: How does this conflict make the Ontario government look in other countries eyes?
Comment
This article is linked to our topic because we have been studying natives and this is a native issue. The article warns that there could be violence. This is another example of how the government treats natives badly.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
so, whose the magic top six next year?
Ok, so we buld from within,right? So who in the Marlies is being groomed to be a top six forward? That cupboard is bare. And what they've got in Toronto at present can't do the job either. MAYBE they'll get lucky with Grabovski and Tlusty, but really, what that says for next year is that it's all up to an as yet undrafted junior to make the club like Schenn when they really should be sent elsewhere to be a dominant force -how realistic is that? The draft is important, no doubt about it - but clearly players have to be acquired through trades and free agency as well in order to establish an NHL roster.
Posted by wizard at 8:43 AM Wednesday, October 08 2008
the link with this aritical is that the natives created hockey.
this summery is about thhe draft. now for the marlies this is very important there are two very faluble hockey players Graboviski and tlusty this draft could really bring up the marlies this season
why are these two players so important?
Why is the draft so important?
Why were the marlies so bad the last few years.
Ok, so we buld from within,right? So who in the Marlies is being groomed to be a top six forward? That cupboard is bare. And what they've got in Toronto at present can't do the job either. MAYBE they'll get lucky with Grabovski and Tlusty, but really, what that says for next year is that it's all up to an as yet undrafted junior to make the club like Schenn when they really should be sent elsewhere to be a dominant force -how realistic is that? The draft is important, no doubt about it - but clearly players have to be acquired through trades and free agency as well in order to establish an NHL roster.
Posted by wizard at 8:43 AM Wednesday, October 08 2008
the link with this aritical is that the natives created hockey.
this summery is about thhe draft. now for the marlies this is very important there are two very faluble hockey players Graboviski and tlusty this draft could really bring up the marlies this season
why are these two players so important?
Why is the draft so important?
Why were the marlies so bad the last few years.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Ducks trade O'Donnell to KingsThe Anaheim Ducks continue unloading defensemen.Four days after dealing Mathieu Schneider to Atlanta for salary-cap purposes, the Ducks on Tuesday traded fellow blue-liner Sean O'Donnell to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2009 conditional draft pick.The 36-year-old O'Donnell recorded two goals, seven assists and 84 penalty minutes in 82 games with Anaheim last season, his second full campaign with the club. He helped the Ducks to the Stanley Cup championship in 2007, notching two assists and 10 penalty minutes in 21 postseason contests during their title run.A sixth-round pick of Buffalo in 1991, O'Donnell is returning to the team with which he began his NHL career. The native of Ottawa debuted with the Kings in 1994-95 and remained with the club before being claimed by the Minnesota Wild in the 2000 expansion draft.O'Donnell notched 12 goals, 59 assists and 799 penalty minutes in 381 games during his first stint with Los Angeles.In 932 career games with the Kings, Wild, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes and Ducks, O'Donnell has collected 27 goals, 150 assists and 1,558 penalty minutes. The 6-3, 234-pounder has added six tallies, 16 points and 120 penalty minutes in 87 playoff contests.Tuesday's trade is just the second between Los Angeles and Anaheim in the history of the franchises. The first was consummated in February, when the Kings sent goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin to the Ducks for a seventh-round draft pick
This is all about the ducks trading O'Donnell to the kings.he was the best when he was on los angelasa's team.
Why do you think they traded O'Donnell?
Do you think they should of traded him?why?
Are you a fan of the ducks?why?
they are linked because O'Donnel is native and the natives created hockey.
This is all about the ducks trading O'Donnell to the kings.he was the best when he was on los angelasa's team.
Why do you think they traded O'Donnell?
Do you think they should of traded him?why?
Are you a fan of the ducks?why?
they are linked because O'Donnel is native and the natives created hockey.
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