Stolen

The reason that this drawing is titled Stolen is because of me copying the basic design from another artist. With Aboriginal art, each piece holds it’s own meaning and is unique to the artist. By copying this design of the whale I am considered a thief. Especially in west coast artwork, every aspect is specifically chosen to show what the artist considers significant to their culture. This was intentional, I copied a part of this design to show how many of the “whites” have stolen everything from the Aboriginal people. Aboriginals may get certain “benefits” from the government but all we they had to give up was our their way of life. Our Their  culture has been ripped from their our grasp, and they we struggle to hold on to the fragments that remain. But, do I have any right to speak about a culture I can not fully claim as mine? I am Metis, I have very little Aboriginal ancestry, but I still feel the impact that the Europeans settlers had on my family. They altered the view I had of my family, my family went from normal to savages- a group people that needed to be tamed by the whites. I drew this in Fall of last year, I was told by my Art teacher not to draw this because it wasn’t an original idea of mine. So I altered to the design I made the whale the moon and placed it in the night sky, to show how we- the Metis- are much bigger then many presume.

I am Metis and I am hidden within the stars.