Near the center of the Museum of Anthropology’s Multiversity Gallery, ’Nusi’s One Mind, One Heart is brightly lit and stands as the center piece of the room it hangs in. ’Nusi’s piece is a visage, a war-paint wooden mask with an oil rigger clamped in its jaws. The mask has been carved in what could be considered an angered expression. Beneath the mask, there are three separate images. Each are of protest- one is a march against the placement of oil pipelines, one is a depiction of a man standing alone, and the third is an image of a group of people in protest near docks in traditional vestments. The artist’s statement describes the piece as “support in opposing the Enbridge Pipeline project.” The artist also describes One Mind, One Heart, as a direct protest against the practice of establishing oil pipelines across Indigenous Territory. This sentiment can be seen in both the pictures beneath the mask and the mask itself- the mask itself depicts an oil rigger being crushed in the jaws of the mask, while the pictures beneath it show Indigenous people in all walks of life. This could be considered as a call for unity between Indigenous peoples against what many see as practices tarnishing Indigenous lands.
One Mind, One Heart isn’t necessarily representative of contemporary art- rather, it matches much of the rest of the room in being relatively traditional in nature. It acts as the center piece for the space that it’s in- it is brightly lit, as opposed to the more dim lighting in the other parts of the room. This room itself acts as a gallery for more traditional pieces; while there are some art pieces in the overall exhibit which could be considered more contemporary, they are the exception rather than the norm in this case. Themes of unity against an entity are main takeaway from the overall piece- though this is not a lesson that broader exhibit is trying to convey.
The writings on the piece reflect on this idea as well- the artist’s statement and the other information on the piece describe how the mask is a depiction of the ancient teachings of the Heiltsuk to protect their lands and territories against threats- threats that are now materialized in the form of the oil pipelines. The mask itself is made to depict the ancestral guardian ’Yagis, who is the main representative of these cultural teachings. Reflecting on the piece as a whole, it appears that to fully understand the piece, one would need prior knowledge of Heiltsuk culture. Is the guardian ’Yagis representative of all of Heiltsuk culture, or as more of a protector? I wonder if using a more broad symbol than ’Yagis, would the piece possibly do more to unify Indigenous peoples against a common threat?