blogswithjatavan

[blogswithjatavan]

KC Adams

KC Adams is a Winnipeg-based artist who earned a B.F.A. in studio arts from Concordia University. Adams has had multiple solo and group exhibitions, as well as participation in three biennales, the most recent of which being the PHOTOQUAI: Biennale des Images du Monde in Paris, France. The Banff Centre, the Confederation Art Centre in Charlottetown, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Parramatta Arts Gallery in Australia all hosted Adams for residencies. Her work is in numerous permanent collections across the United States and internationally.

Art work drawings: http://www.kcadams.net/art/drawing/draw_frame.htm

[blogswithjatavan]

Family Tree

I chose my grandma from my mom’s side as I got to only see my grandparents from my mom’s side. All of my mom’s siblings are in Ontario so it is easier to talk about my grandma. My grandma was symbolic as she kept the family close as she did not like causing conflict. Indeed, she wanted everyone to be mutual and have respect along with love for each other. In speaking of citizenship and migration, she taught me that no matter where you come from, you always carry your identity, known as your true self which the outside world respects about yourself. My grandma influenced me to be friendly and happy with anyone I meet which is great in this generation.

[blogswithjatavan]

Métis

Métis are people who are descended from both European and Indigenous ancestors. They are one of Canada's three officially recognised Aboriginal peoples. Métis are a group of people who originated in Western Canada and rose to prominence as a political force in the nineteenth century, spreading outwards from the Red River Settlement. A distinct and rich Métis culture has resulted from the merging of European and Indigenous customs. The melody of the Métis instrument is usually fast-paced and accompanied by jiggers.

[blogswithjatavan]

Belcourt’s Trait

Belcourt is queer and Indigenous, and he writes from a place of discrimination where he saves time to understand what it means to be at such intersection. He looks at the possibility of queer Indigenous grief as a generative beginning point for community building and kinship, as well as identifying alternative modes of life outside of modern Canadian literature. In this text, Belcourt shows how the body does not define the possibilities of queer Indigenous people. Indeed, Belcourt finds inspiration in grief.

[blogswithjatavan]

We Will Stand Up

After trespassing onto Gerald Stanley's farm in an effort to steal an ATV, Colten Boushie was shot and murdered. Debbie, Cousin Jade, Uncle Alvin and Colten's mother struggle with constant social media attacks on their son or brother's character. They are quickly energized into action, taking their case to the highest levels of government and demanding actual changes to the mechanisms that are intended to deliver justice. Moreover, Vicki Hubbard, a filmmaker, digs deeper into the online hate aimed at the family and presents it for all to see. Indeed, the film neglects important details that would have supplied more context. Furthermore, a portion of the time is devoted to an allegedly defective jury selection procedure in which a small number of Indigenous potential jurors were excused owing to defence concerns. Thus, the context of frequent break-ins and house invasions in the area by kids from Red Pheasant First Nation, some of which occurred on reserve, is missing from the film. Hence, this is not to justify Stanley's behaviour, but if we as a community need to overcome negative perceptions about Indigenous people, it is acceptable to expect the same of filmmakers when it comes to Euro-Canadians.

[blogswithjatavan]

Mental Health

Alicia Elliott offers invaluable insight and understanding to the ongoing legacy of colonialism in an urgent and visceral work that asks essential questions about the treatment of Native people in North America. Indeed, she draws on intimate details of her own life and experience with trauma. Throughout the story, she adds on top of her mental health experiences with this issue. For instance, she elaborates on racism, colonialism or transphobia. On the other hand, as mentioned from the story, “Indian condition” is referenced to thriving in the dark as well as survival. Thus, the heart of the story reveals how the author portrays a memoir full of symbolic literature. All in all, these symbols make up the Indian condition described in the tale.

[blogswithjatavan]

Etymology of Vanakkam from my mother tongue, Tamil

I am a Sri Lankan-Canadian that understands my culture to a reasonable extent. In this blog, I would like to share the etymology of the language I speak at home, Tamil. The word is Vanakkam whereas it is a greeting word that acknowledges, accepts, and respectfully greets someone's presence or arrival. Additionally, the right hand symbolizes oneself, while the left hand represents the person on the other side of the room. By symbolically linking both hands, we recognize that we accept their presence or arrival and express our heartfelt greeting or welcome. Surprisingly, I acknowledge the in-depth meaning of the word, however I still have the similar perception of the word that I always had. Similarly, the etymology of the word Vanakkam used within my family gradually changes because in temples, we assess and utilize the word Vanakkam and its hand gestures of using both hands. However, in accordance with speaking with family and relatives, we just say the word Vanakkam without addressing the gestures. In other words, Vanakkam is another way of saying: "hi or hello nice to meet you." In contrast, it is crazy to see how many of the various words we speak have an entire meaning behind the history itself that we assume today. Indeed, this exercise revealed another pair of lenses that allowed me to think more deeply about the etymology of words in my language.