Nitayānān Kīyāpic Ōta (We’re Still Here)

Carly Morrisseau

Niwī- atamiskawāw nikāwi, Diana Morrisseau. Wīna kā nīkāniskākowāk, kā isi wīcītowāk nisīmak akwa nimis. Wīna kā kiskenītāk ininīmowin kākī-  isi onastāk ōma isīcikewin anoc. Mitoni ninisitayinawāw anoc akwa nikistenimāw nikāwi, ininīmowinihk isi. Akwa nīsta ta atoskātamān ekota isi ōma isīcikewin kawi ati nikānōtayikowāk, asici nōtāwi, Marshall Morrisseau. Tapwe kīhci kinanāskomitināwaw.

I want to acknowledge my mother, Diana Morrisseau, the Matriarch of my family and whose knowledge of the N dialect has been instrumental in creating this exhibition. I address this directly to her in our Native language of Cree to show my commitment to learning Cree moving forward through immersion alongside my father, Marshall Morrisseau.

Nitayānān Kīyāpic Ōta translates to We’re Still Here and as a digital artist, I aim to create artwork that not only utilizes the N Dialect to depict Cree Syllabics, but to share how beautiful the language is. I create artwork using the digital art medium to connect back to my cultural identity, but also my artistic practice which combines the contemporary with the traditional. Through the cyclical nature of time and space, I have created artwork that documents my past, present, and future. 

The following artwork titled: Continuum (2022, digital medium), arranged in a linear format that uses color to create cyclical time, in that there are no definite beginnings or endings. These experiences have provided a connection to my cultural identity as an Indigenous person and this idea guides my art practice as I continue to make artwork inspired by my culture and my lifelong goal of learning the Cree language.

Continuum represents my past, present and future in a series that are meant to challenge linear conceptions of time. The color palette of these designs informs the work through three main color choices: blue, yellow, and pink. The blue represents the first seven designs and documents the past, from my memory of the land to the color of our planet from outer space. The yellow represents the second seven designs and documents the present with the main figure representing my presence through work that has shaped me artistically, culturally, and personally. Finally pink represents the last seven and documents the future and all it can entail, from everything that I want to achieve including my endeavor to incorporate syllabics in modern spaces. 

The choice to do these artworks digitally is purposeful and connects to the overarching theme of the exhibition. As an Indigenous person I have been held as an afterthought. That we, as Indigenous peoples do not exist, and are a relic of the past. However I have created artwork in a medium that is not only contemporary but combines this contemporary medium with the traditional by incorporating syllabics from a language that was once illegal to speak on our own land. By combining the traditional with the contemporary I not only celebrate the beauty of this writing system, but also give the Cree language the spotlight it has always deserved. I endeavor to show that we as Indigenous people will continue to thrive, create, and endure as we always have.

Bio

Carly Morrisseau is a BFA (Honours) graduate from Brandon University with a major in Drawing and a minor in Native Studies. Morrisseau is of Cree and Métis descent, and they aim for the revitalization of the Cree language through their artwork while depicting the N Dialect to illustrate Cree syllabics. It is by using the N dialect, the written writing system used to write Cree dialects, Morrisseau wants to share how beautiful the language is through the digital art medium, but also to connect back to their cultural identity in their artistic practice which combines the contemporary with the traditional.