Waterbird's Nest: The Grandmothers Tell Us

Dale Auger

Dale Auger: On Art, Blood and Kindred Spirits
by Terri Mason

Defining Dale Auger in one sentence is akin to releasing the colours of a diamond in one cut. It can’t be done. It’s the many facets that release a diamond’s true brilliance, as it is the many facets of Auger’s life, education, ancestry, experiences and beliefs that have shaped and polished his work into the internationally acclaimed and collected artist that he is today.

Born a Sakaw Cree from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Auger’s education began as a young boy when his mother would take him to be with the elders. “I used to say to myself, ‘Why is she leaving me with these old people?’ – but today I see the reason; I was being taught in the old way.”

Auger’s respect for traditional teachings led him on a journey to study art, opening the door to a doctorate in education. He is a talented playwright, speaker and visual artist whose vividly coloured acrylics have captured the attention of collectors that reads like an international ‘Who’s Who’ spanning English to Hollywood royalty. The essence of his work is communication, and now Dr. Auger has come full circle, interpreting the life of his culture – from the everyday to the sacred - through the cross-cultural medium of art.

Read the rest here:

http://www.daleauger.com/printversionbio.cfm

Friday, February 1, 2008

The Grandmothers Tell Us

by: Pamela Waterbird Davison

The Grandmothers tell us we must teach and show the next generation the way. They tell us time is running out and we must make the way clear so it won’t be lost. What a daunting task we have before us. What an incredible choice we are faced with. We can either heed the words of the Grandmothers or we can choose to head into our eldership unaware. For me the answer is easy, but the way is not.

Walking in two different worlds is a terrific challenge. One foot carries on in the modern ways of life. We wear mainstream clothes, work mainstream jobs, and pay mainstream bills. We keep up with politics, go to war for our country, and try to keep up with what modern society expects of us.

The other foot carries on in the old ways of our ancestors. We remember who they were, what they wore, what they had to endure. We understand why they fought for sovereignty against illegal aliens. We know how important it is that they, the ones who came before us, cannot be forgotten.

For many of us assimilation is almost complete. Our children don’t know the language and traditions we honor. They don’t know why their sixth-great-grandparent was moved to Oklahoma and given a number. They don’t seem to care. All they know is what the world is today and what it means to them.

For some of us only the traditional ways will do, no matter what the cost. Still, these are the same ones who find they struggle to define who they are, where they came from, and what they stand for.

Others of us struggle against assimilation, demanding that we remember why we wore feathers in our hair (if we did), what stories were told and what they taught, and the songs (both old and new) while all the time remembering we live in this world today…with all its terrible beauty.

The latter is the path I have chosen. Sometimes the effort seems pointless, especially when the youth are so entrenched in this “modern world”…yet the ancestors’ burn in my veins insisting that I don’t let them go. So the greater test becomes balance between the two worlds. Learning to reach out in a way of communication which forms a bridge between those worlds takes great energy and dedication. It gets very tiring.

But the Grandmothers tell us we must teach and show the next generation the way. They tell us time is running out and we must make the way clear so it won’t be lost. For me the choice is easy, but the way is not. I find it a worthy thing to stand for.