His Messenger - Our Prayers

His Messenger – Our Prayers 2010

Madoc Marble (maquette)

Polychrome

12.0 x 10.0 x 9.0 inches

6.0 x 5.0 x 4.5 feet (full scale outdoor artwork cast in bronze)

His Messenger – Our Prayers is a vision and tactile rendering of the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the Creator. I many indigenous cultures, Eagle is regarded as the Creator’s messenger. In many indigenous cultures, the burning of tobacco, sage, sweet grass or cedar is also a means of having our prayers rise to the Creator.

In His Messenger – Our Prayers our prayers are carried on the wings of an eagle as it is set free in fire and smoke. The prayer being offers is the Thanksgiving Address - Ohenton Kariwahtekwen. Design considerations do not allow for the full text so icon and text will be used to highlight: The People, Our Mother Earth, The Grasses/Plants/Vegetation, The Three Sisters, The Waters, The Wild Animals, The Trees/Bushes, Maple, The Birds, The Four Winds, The Thunderers, Our Elder Brother – The Sun, Our Grandmother – The Moon, The Stars, Teachers and The Creator

Art can be a powerful vehicle to share political and cultural perspectives. Hopefully, His Messengers – Our Prayers will help all peoples – native and non native – realize we sometimes need divine intervention to get the most out of respect, wisdom, good minds and cooperation. We should never think we can or need to face life toughest challenges alone.

David M. General

May, 2010

Turtle Island - Toronto Zoo

Turtle Island

Indigenous Peoples across North America refer to the land on which they live as Turtle Island. Sculptor David M. General has appropriately titled an outdoor stone work created for the Turtle Island Conservation Partnership – Turtle Island. The work, an assemblage of marble, slate and limestone is fashioned to represent both a continent and an amphibian. Turtle is prominent in creation stories; as a clan symbol; in music; art and as the basis for indigenous lunar calendars. Flat stone has been used to simplify the shell on Turtle Island to highlight a thirteen section pattern – thirteen cycles of the Moon.

David M. General

David is Oneida and a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River, near Brantford, Ontario. Prior to his art career David worked as a Journeyman Bridge and Structural Steel Ironworker, an Elementary School Teacher and an Arts & Culture Officer with the federal government. David’s career as a full time artist began in 1980 and for 30 years he worked and developed a distinctive style for work, mainly in marble and bronze. David’s art related serve includes Co-Chair for the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry and a Trustee with the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario.

In addition to his art, David’s Lacrosse coaching career is highlighted by five national “A” titles that include Minor, Junior and Major Championships. This earned David induction into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame. David also served several years on the Six Nations Elected Council, first as a Councillor and then as Elected Chief from 2004 to 2007.

The Language Vest

The Language Vest 2008

Polychrome Canvas and Mixed Media

61.0 X 44.0 cm.

The Language Vest is artistic commentary on qualities and character of leadership that all peoples recognize and expect. It is the fourth in a series of vests works on leadership, health and personal healing.

The first two vest works: The Vest (2007) and Personal Body Armour (2008) are actual bullet proof vests, more commonly referred to as body armour. The third vest work: The Healing Vest, an artistic construction, further elaborates the protection theme by introducing an interpretation of the phase “skin seven layers thick”. This phrase is used in Iroquoian culture to describe the toughness, resilience and ‘thick skinned’ determination you need to faces the rigours of leadership.

The Language Vest builds on and refines everything presented in The Healing Vest. The major difference, besides a few design details, is the use of indigenous languages to provide greater context to English words used as titles for fourteen different panels (layers of skin), seven in front and seven on the back.

The Language Vest uses exactly the same words as were used on The Healing Vest. On the chest panels we see: LOVE, VISION, GENEROSITY, FAITH, FAMILY, DREAMS and FRIENDSHIP. On the back panels we see: RESPECTFUL, HONEST, RESPONSIBLE, COURAGEOUS, CONSIDERATE, OBJECTIVE and TRUTHFUL.

The words have been translated into: Gitksan, Cree, Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga and Mi’mgaq to help emphasize requisites of good leadership are universal. “Skin seven layers thick” protects the wearer from harshness and vindictiveness and reaffirms the healing powers of strong character and unselfish purpose.

The Medicine Wheel palette (red, yellow, black and white) is common to all four vest works. These colours represent the Four Directions and Four Races of Peoples. Although the Medicine Wheel is not part of traditional teachings in every nation or tribe of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island (North America) – it is respected and held in high regard by all.

The Language Vest and its companion vest works are an acknowledgement of issues and conflicts that test the character of those who take up the challenges of leadership. Regardless of language, we all have words that describe admirable traits and qualities we want our leaders to possess.

David M. General

February, 2008

DOJINAC

DOJINAC

Polychrome Wood 2004

164.5 x 61.0 x 61.0 cm

(643/4” x 24.0” x 24.0”)

Collection: Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

DOJINAC is a building “game” that incorporates many of the historic events, issues, advancements of the aboriginal peoples in Canada. The inspiration for DOJINAC comes from a number of different sources. It is reminiscent of the cribbing that was set in place to stabilize the outriggers of cranes; the piling of hardwoods to air dry; and the game JANGA.

DOJINAC is, in a sense, a game that represents the political stability of aboriginal peoples. Pieces are set four per layer with the next layers set at 90 degrees alternately. The object of the “game” is to remove pieces from anywhere in structure and place them in the top layers and have the structure grow upward, as far as you dare, without it toppling. Ultimately, you do not want to be the person responsible for that collapse.

Each layer consists of four pieces that represent the four sacred colours of the medicine wheel. Some consider the four colours to represent four different races while others believe they represent the four directions. Each of the pieces is titled will an issue or event from our history and a list of the pieces will follow.

The manner in which they some of the lettering has been applied is significant. The red pieces are lettered in white finger prints and the very “unsubtle” message is: white finger prints all over our “red” history. The white pieces are lettered in red finger prints, symbolic of our blood and toil as we work to regain the benefits of inherent, aboriginal and treaty rights.

The following is a list of titles for each piece. Please note that the yellow pieces, the brightest pieces, have been titled with all that aboriginal peoples hold sacred and as sources of hope. The black pieces have been titled with the darkest events and issues that aboriginal peoples have endured. The colour lists are by no means exhaustive but represent a starting point from which refinements and alterations can be made. The colour lists are as follows.

RED

WHITE PAPER

LAND CLAIMS

C-7 FNGA

SEC. 91.24

INDIAN AGENT

INDIAN ACT

GENOCIDE

RESERVATIONS

TREATIES

COLONIALISM

TAXATION

ASSIMILATION

WHITE

RCAP

DELGAMUUKW

INHERENT RIGHTS

MARSHALL

TREATY RIGHTS

ABORIGINAL RIGHTS

PENNER

OKA

GUERIN

SPARROW

CALDER

SEC. 35

YELLOW

ABORIGINAL YOUTH

SAGE

SWEETGRASS

CEDAR

MOTHER EARTH

CREATOR

DRUM

SONGS

STORIES

ELDERS

TEACHINGS

TOBACCO

BLACK

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

EXTINGUISHMENT

BILL C-7 FIRST NATIONS GOVERNANCE ACT

BILL C-6

NON ASSERTION/ FALL BACK RELEASE TECHNIQUE

1995 INHERENT RIGHTS POLICY

NON – NON DEROGATION AMENDMENT

D.O.J. / I.N.A.C.

BILL C-19 FIRST NATIONS FISCAL INSTITUTIONS ACT

ABROGATION

COURTS, COURTS, COURTS

DEROGATION