Memaka'wanamo'kwe (Woman With Strong Respiration)

This painting is the 6th painting for the "One Circle Many Hearts" project and it depicts an Ojibwe woman who is from the area now referred to as "The Bad River Reservation" in WI. She is Sturgeon Clan and is part of the Midewin Society, or medicine society. She is gathering medicinal food from the water. The outer painting represents this medicine's society, with the different animal spirits that will guide them on their journey and a number of the native medicinal plants she has learned to use thus far. Eventually they will be separated by a one inch black mat. The muscles shown in this painting are endangered species to that area, as is the mud puppy and the sturgeon. I will be completeing 18 paintings for this series. Thirteen of the paintings will show different women from different Ojibwe tribes. Each woman brings with her teachings from one of the moon cycles. The final four paintings of this series will depict all of these women coming together for a Springtime ceremony. The project started when an Ojibwe elder approached me, wondering if I would do a painting of this springtime ceremony. As the project began, I realized I needed to take the viewers on a journey of getting to know the women, and introduce the to pieces of the Ojibwe culture; so they could feel like they were a part of the circle. This way, when they reach the final paintings, they will have a deeper appreciation for this culture and their own connection to the Earth amd its seasonal rhythms.