The Canvas of Kinship: Painting Turtle Island Landscapes
More than a mere geographical designation, Turtle Island is a foundational concept, a spiritual homeland, and a living entity for Indigenous peoples across North America. When artists turn their gaze to its landscapes, they are not simply capturing scenery; they are invoking millennia of history, ancestral memory, profound spiritual connection, and the enduring resilience of cultures intricately woven into the land itself. Paintings of Turtle Island landscapes are not just art; they are acts of cultural preservation, powerful political statements, and vibrant expressions of a worldview that understands the earth not as property, but as kin.
For centuries, Western art has approached landscape painting with a gaze often rooted in discovery, conquest, or aesthetic appreciation of an "untamed" wilderness. Manifest Destiny found its visual counterpart in sweeping panoramas that often depicted an ostensibly empty land, ripe for settlement and exploitation. Indigenous artists, however, have always seen the land differently. Their art, whether ancient petroglyphs, intricate beadwork, or contemporary canvases, has consistently reflected a deep, reciprocal relationship with the environment—a relationship defined by stewardship, reverence, and an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life.
The concept of Turtle Island, rooted in various Indigenous creation stories, underscores this fundamental difference. It speaks to a world born from water, carried on the back of a great turtle, symbolizing stability, longevity, and a sacred origin. To paint Turtle Island’s landscapes, then, is to paint this sacred history, to honour the ancestors who walked these paths, and to acknowledge the spirits that reside within the mountains, forests, rivers, and plains. These aren’t just topographical representations; they are portraits of a living relative, imbued with spirit and story.
A Deep-Rooted Perspective: Land as Kin
Indigenous worldviews posit a relationship of kinship, not ownership, with the land. The Lakota phrase "Mitakuye Oyasin," often translated as "All My Relations," perfectly encapsulates this philosophy. It extends kinship not only to human beings but to all elements of creation—the two-legged, the four-legged, the winged, the swimmers, the trees, the rocks, the water, and the sky. This understanding permeates Indigenous landscape art, transforming what might be a mere vista into a vibrant tapestry of relationships.
In an Indigenous landscape painting, a river is not just a body of water; it is a source of life, a migratory path for salmon, a historical route for canoes, and a repository of ancestral memories. A mountain is not just a geological formation; it is a sacred site, a place of ceremony, a source of traditional medicines, or even a slumbering ancestor. The trees are not merely timber; they are elders, providing shelter, food, and wisdom. This profound layer of meaning imbues each brushstroke with a spiritual and cultural weight that distinguishes it from much of Western landscape art.
Historically, before the advent of canvas and oil, Indigenous peoples expressed their connection to land through various forms. Rock art, pictographs, and petroglyphs etched onto stone walls across the continent are some of the earliest forms of landscape representation, depicting hunting grounds, sacred sites, and cosmological maps. These were not simply decorative; they were vital records, teaching tools, and spiritual portals, demonstrating an ancient, continuous dialogue with the land. Similarly, designs on hides, pottery, and woven textiles often incorporated elements of the natural world, symbolizing the intimate relationship between the people and their environment.
Reclaiming the Gaze: Contemporary Expressions
The arrival of European settlers and the subsequent imposition of colonial systems brought immense disruption, including attempts to suppress Indigenous cultures and art forms. Yet, the deep connection to Turtle Island endured, finding new expressions and reclaiming its rightful place in the artistic discourse. Contemporary Indigenous landscape painting is a powerful testament to this resilience.
Today’s Indigenous artists utilize a diverse array of styles and mediums, from traditional forms reinterpreted with modern materials to abstract expressions that convey the spiritual essence of the land. They challenge colonial narratives that have often depicted Indigenous peoples as disappearing or confined to the past. Instead, their canvases assert presence, continuity, and sovereignty.
Artists like Alex Janvier (Denesuline/Saulteaux) are renowned for their abstract landscapes, which, through swirling colours and intricate lines, evoke the vastness of the land and the deep spiritual currents flowing through it. His work often reflects aerial perspectives, suggesting an ancient, timeless view of Turtle Island, connecting sky and earth, past and present. Similarly, Norval Morrisseau (Anishinaabe), the founder of the Woodland School of Art, infused his work with X-ray vision, revealing the spiritual energy and inner life of animals, plants, and the land itself. While not strictly "landscapes" in the Western sense, his paintings often depict figures within a vibrant, animated natural world, emphasizing the spiritual interconnectedness.
Many contemporary artists focus on environmental themes, using their work as a platform for advocacy. The landscapes they paint are often scarred by resource extraction, pipelines, or industrial pollution, serving as stark reminders of the ongoing threats to Turtle Island. These paintings are calls to action, drawing attention to the destruction of sacred sites and the urgent need for environmental stewardship. They highlight the paradox of a land revered as sacred yet simultaneously exploited for its resources, echoing the words of the late Chief Dan George: "The earth is our mother. She will take care of us if we take care of her."
Other artists explore the deep connection between land and identity. Their paintings might depict specific ancestral territories, re-storying places that have been renamed or appropriated. They celebrate traditional knowledge systems, showing how the land provides food, medicine, and cultural teachings. A solitary caribou against a vast, stark tundra might represent not just an animal, but the enduring spirit of the Arctic, the sustenance it provides, and the fragile balance of its ecosystem. The vibrant, pulsating colours of a sacred grove might express the spiritual energy of a specific place where ceremonies have been held for millennia.
The Act of Painting as Resistance and Healing
Painting Turtle Island landscapes is often an act of profound resistance. It challenges the colonial gaze that seeks to flatten Indigenous experiences into a single, romanticized, or tragic narrative. By depicting the land from an Indigenous perspective, artists are asserting visual sovereignty, reclaiming the right to define their own relationship with their territories. They are decolonizing the canvas, transforming it from a tool of Western representation into a space for Indigenous self-determination.
Furthermore, these paintings contribute to healing, both for Indigenous communities and for the broader society. For Indigenous peoples, seeing their ancestral lands depicted with reverence and understanding can be affirming and empowering, a visual reminder of their enduring connection and resilience in the face of historical trauma. For non-Indigenous audiences, these artworks offer a vital education, providing insights into a worldview that prioritizes balance, respect, and deep ecological knowledge. They invite viewers to reconsider their own relationship with the natural world and to acknowledge the complex histories embedded within every landscape.
Consider the work of artists who depict residential school sites, not as empty fields, but as landscapes haunted by memory, yet simultaneously holding the potential for healing and remembrance. These are landscapes of truth and reconciliation, where the physical features of the land bear witness to both immense suffering and the unwavering spirit of survival.
The Future on the Canvas
As the world grapples with climate change and environmental degradation, the messages embedded in paintings of Turtle Island landscapes become ever more urgent. They serve as poignant reminders of humanity’s responsibility to care for the Earth. They offer an alternative paradigm, a vision of living in harmony with the land, rather than dominating it.
These canvases are not merely static images; they are living maps of memory, spirituality, and resistance. They are prayers for the future, protests against injustice, and celebrations of an enduring connection to a land that has shaped and sustained Indigenous peoples for countless generations. In every brushstroke, in every colour, in every depicted mountain, river, or forest, lies the heartbeat of Turtle Island, speaking to us in a language that transcends words, inviting us to listen, learn, and reconnect with the profound wisdom of the land itself. The artists of Turtle Island continue to paint, not just what they see, but what they feel, what they remember, and what they envision for a future where all relations can thrive.
