The display in the Multiversity Gallery, “To Wash Away the Tears” by Hopokeltun (Shane Pointe), spoke to me the most out of any other artwork in the museum. Its presentation and the underlying message gets you thinking about the history of Aboriginals living in colonial times and also allows you to grasp a better understanding of their fight for identity. Its appearance consists of a large canoe with different items laying inside. There are handwoven blankets and paddles with traditional paintings and patterns and amongst that there are Elvis memorabilia. At first, it seems like a complete misrepresentation of Aboriginal identity and somewhat of a distraction from the fascinating cultural pieces displayed around it. This is the kind of reaction that “artist warriors”, as stated in the Kramer article, want to be rid of. Their main goal is to create a new conversation about Indigenous identity by challenging traditional forms of art with more contemporary pieces in western museums (Kramer 173).
On its left, you see a dated weaving tool that represents how they made beautiful blankets, and on its right, you can study the hundreds of different woven baskets used by generations of Indigenous people. These are the types of displays that people expect to see in an Aboriginal museum that has the goal to maintain the prosperity of Aboriginal identity and this is what Hopokeltun wants to change with his progressive artwork being the center of attention amongst all the history. But people still ask: why would the Musqueam Pointe family want to represent thousands of years of their family tree with Elvis memorabilia?
The answer is simply that his display does not represent the thousands of years of tradition, it is a token of respect to the sister Maggie of the Pointe family. Hopokeltun wanted to share the story that isn’t usually heard through artwork. This piece specifically recognizes Maggie’s “attitude towards life”, which is the only information that we receive about her link to the artwork. Her “attitude towards life” consisted of rebelling against her already fragile culture and giving into the music of those that they were fighting against. We don’t exactly know this information from the description but it is suggested when you think about the history of Aboriginals in Canada. Hopokeltun chose to represent his families identity by physically showing the struggle that they faced with the constant invasion of the government trying to change their “savage-like” way of living to that of non-Aboriginal Canadians.
We can comprehend that the family and Maggie are still in touch with their culture from the contrasting pieces in the artwork; the historic canoe and traditional blankets. Although the more important items in this piece are those that do not belong to Aboriginal culture at all. It serves as a reminder that the Pointe family is not forgetting the history between the government and their people. I believe that people can interpret this piece in different ways depending on their own views. Although, it has an overall uniqueness and is meant to stand as a meaningful contemporary piece that should be in your thoughts as you peruse around the museum and when you walk through its doors.