PETER MORIN | THINGS THAT ARE LEFT BEHIND FOR RAVENS

September 13 – October 19, 2007

Opening Reception Thursday, September 13 7pm

The things I leave behind for Ravens.

(Our Raven likes shiny things)

I leave books with Tahltan information written by white men wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to read)

I leave books with Tahltan information written by Tahltans wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to check the facts)

I leave books with First Nations politics written by whoever wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to source)

I leave arguments about leadership wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to deliberate)

I leave angry emails about who did what to whom and why I should vote for the other guy wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to mourn)

I leave the unsure-ness wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to pray for us)

I leave teachers that correct our English into proper English wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to rage)

I leave teachers that inform us that we are getting in their way of labeling and accessing our kids wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to rage)

I leave councilors and teachers that believe that Ritalin is the only solutions for our kids wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to rage)

I leave learning our language to teach to our kids wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to hear)

I leave trying to learn two languages, and English, to teach our kids wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to witness)

I leave being accused by the system when trying to teach our kids wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to carry)

I leave trying to fix up a trailer on the rez for our kids wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to help)

I leave not getting paid for three months and being told I was stealing the money from the kids wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to clean)

I leave watching the two truly weird and brilliant kids argue even when they should be best friends wrapped in red cloth.

(For our Raven to remember)

I leave these beads wrapped in the red cloth.

I leave the beads my grandmother used wrapped in the red cloth.

I leave the beads her grandmother used wrapped in the red cloth.

I leave our Tahltan words wrapped in the red cloth

I leave our Tahltan words I remember my grandmother using wrapped in the red cloth

I leave the Tahltan words my mother spoke to me wrapped in the red cloth.

in honour of our Raven

Peter Morin is of the Crow clan of the Tahltan Nation of Telegraph Creek, BC. As a practicing artist and educator, Peter’s work looks deeply into issues of First Nation’s identity, de-colonizing through relationship building and speaking one indigenous language. Peter recently spent time working in Lower Post BC and Watson Lake YT, organizing projects, camps and sk8 comps for some totally awesome youths. His most recent work includes “Team Diversity Bannock, the World’s Largest Bannock attempt”, “7 Suits for 7 Days of Colonialism”, and “Stop, Drop and Bingo”.

I wish to acknowledge and say Meduh to the BC arts council for their contriubtions to the development of this project. I wish to acknowledge and say Meduh to my partner, Ga Ching Kong for her hours of listening, and providing feedback to the ideas, stories, and images of this project. I wish to acknowledge my mother, Janell Morin, for her sewing contribution to the button blanket featured in this exhibition, I wish to acknowledge my father, Pierre Morin, for driving me to-and-fro in search of those buttons. I wish to acknowledge the land on which this exhibition is taking place, i wish to acknowledge and say Meduh to the Indigenous Nations of the Yukon for allowing this exhibition and these stories to have a space for this time in their territory, and I wish to acknowledge and say Meduh to the Tahltan Elders, for their support of my work and the development of this project. I want to acknowledge and say Meduh to Judah Kong for sharing his studio space with me during the creation of this work.