As we kick off Mi’kmaw History Month, you’re invited to check out this year’s poster.
Created by Gerald Gloade with Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre (MDCC), the poster was unveiled at the Tripartite Forum’s Sept. 10th Culture and Heritage meeting.
The theme for this year’s poster is food, and Gerald’s work, with nuance and historical respect for Mi’kmaw tradition, incorporates imagery from the Mi’kmaw Moon Cycles – relating them to the Western 12-month calendar – acknowledging the seasonal, traditional Mi’kmaw food sources, and where they come from.
At its first unveiling at the Sept. 10th meeting, Gerald explained the collaborative and creative process – three weeks of work, in consultation with the members of the Mi’kmaw History Month Committee, revising earlier designs and tweaking it to fit the month.
“It’s not just sitting there, doing one thing. It’s a progression, continually changing,” Gerald said.
He stressed the collaborative nature of the work, noting every detail was considered, from how to depict a the family preparing a meal and the depictions traditional food sources, to details like the grass needing to be brown, and not green, since the poster was made for October.
As part of his work, he incorporated a variety of artwork into the poster, including paintings that alongside one another, mix modern and traditional imagery by incorporating traditional Mi’kmaw archers, and contemporary Mi’kmaw fishers, for example.
