Tò Onen Towa Akwekon Ohwaton Entesteñne "We Will Continue to Rise"

         For my Integrating Activity final project, I would like to follow my interest in Indigenous storytelling and create two paintings that revolve around Identity, resilience, resistance, and collective healing within my community. For the first painting, I have an idea of creating a woman who is yelling with her fist up who is fighting for justice, etc. I would use different mediums like acrylic paint, watercolor paint, and sharpie markers to add definition and detail to the clothing. I would paint this on watercolor paper that is durable and frame the artwork. For the second painting that would overlap with the first one, I will complete a collage of myself, incorporating symbolic elements from my hometown, traditional ceremonies, the stories I was told as a young child, photos from protests, and historic movements. To bring awareness to Indigenous movements in North America, and the impact of intergenerational trauma. Around I would paint naturistic elements with movement and Indigenous women in our traditional regalia for Pow wows and Sundances. The different mediums I would use would be a canvas, acrylic paint, watercolour paint, pages from a book, and different printed images. Along with that, I would like to write a poem about the significance of identity. My working title for both my paintings is “Tò Onen Towa Akwekon Ohwaton entestñne” which in English means “We Will Continue to Rise''. My working title for my poem is “Inflated Identity”. 

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         I have chosen to complete my program with this project because for the past years I have been dedicated to getting back to my roots, and uplifting the representation of Indigenous people through writing and artwork. The things that I would like to explore in this project are Identity, resilience, strength, fighting for one's traditions that were once forbidden, Indigenous rights, and healing from intergenerational trauma. This connects to what we talked about in class with ideas of identity, taking a leap of faith with different processes of healing, and emerging culture with art to transmit a visual message through Indigenous storytelling. 

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         In order to accomplish this project, the required materials I would need are a canvas, watercolour paper, a frame, acrylic paint, watercolour paint, and collage images printed out. I will need access to a computer and printer which I have. There are no other requirements, or permissions needed. Although I will need to complete this project in a spacious room that is well lighted in my home.