Indigenous makers host spring market

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/04/2022 (1293 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canad Inns Polo Park was abuzz with shoppers Saturday, as Indigenous makers from throughout Manitoba and Ontario assembled for a one-day art and goods market.

Business partners Renata Meconse and Shylo Swan of Prairie Tipi – Indigenous Home and Gift welcomed more than 25 vendors to the Ziigwan Indigenous Arts Market and Trade Show. (Ziigwan is the Ojibwe word for spring.)

This is the first market Prairie Tipi has hosted outside of the holiday season, and its popularity is a sure sign it won’t be the last, Meconse said.

“Our vendors are varied and diverse,” Meconse said.

The event welcomed established Indigenous artists, some of whom participated in past markets, but also a slate of up-and-coming creators.

“We’re really happy to have both, because a lot of people come to see the vendors they know and like, but also new vendors starting off,” Meconse said. “We want to provide that open, supportive environment.”

The show’s offerings included art prints, jewelry — some of which was made from bear claws and segments of antler sliced thin, revealing their porous internal structure — leatherwork, powwow regalia and housewares.

In all, about 30 vendors joined the lineup.

One of those vendors was Susan Councillor, the artist behind Councillor Creations. Councillor sells hand-crafted clothing and wares, including traditional ribbon skirts to baby moss bags — a cinchable pouch, usually made of fabric and animal skin, used by some Indigenous Peoples to bundle infants, keeping them warm and calm.

“All of the stuff I make, I make because it feels right to me,” Councillor said.

Councillor, who works in a fabric shop by day, travelled from Fort Frances, Ont., with her family to attend the show. Councillor is a member of Naicatchewenin First Nation, located 60 km northwest of Fort Frances.

“I get a lot of inspiration from the fabric shop,” Councillor said.

By the time the early afternoon arrived at Ziigwan Indigenous Arts Market and Trade Show, all of Mary Lathlin’s made-from-scratch baking had been snapped up. The 82-year-old member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation was joined by her friends and fellow makers, Kathy Guimond-Doyle and Lucy Baraniuk.

“There’s been a steady stream, so many people coming through,” said Guimond-Doyle, whose tiny white dog, Lulu, joined for the day, curled up in a polka-dot blanket under the table.

Lathlin is a seamstress and painter, in addition to being a cook, Baraniuk specializes in beading, and Guimond-Doyle has leaned into wood crafts and floral arrangements, though all three work in various mediums.

Of the trio’s two tables, one was dedicated to Guimond-Doyle’s home decor. Her staple pieces are blocks of wood — stacked three high and painted in pastels and off-whites — that resemble books.

“I get them (the blocks) from a man from Ste. Anne who makes garden boxes, and these are the ends. Rather than throwing them away, I come and I recycle them,” Guimond-Doyle said. “My theme this year is Easter and Mother’s Day.

Guimond-Doyle decorates some of her pieces with Indigenous sayings, one example being “A child is a gift from the Creator.” An Elder from Long Plain First Nation makes the dreamcatchers that adorned several of the pieces on display Saturday.

When not making art, Guimond-Doyle is a semi-retired instructor of psychology and Indigenous studies at the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba.

Ojibwe artist Russell Grisdale, 28, who’s spirit name is Mikinaak (snapping turtle), shared a booth with his sister, Brittany Grisdale, 29, who sells hand-painted doormats that read ‘Land Back,’ among other phrases.

Grisdale sells hand-made buttons that blend classic pop culture taglines with elements of Indigenous culture.

“A lot of people remember the ‘Got Milk?’ ads, so I got the idea to make ‘Got Klik?’, ‘Got bannock?’” Grisdale said, adding he also fabricates a series of pins to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, as well as the Every Child Matters movement.

Prairie Tipi is looking to host an outdoor, centrally located market come summer.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca