Paintings based on seven teachings

Winnipeg artists pay homage to the "Indian Group of 7"

By Jackie TraverseThe series I painted is based on the seven teachings. I chose to use my ex boyfriends and life experiences as inspiration for the works. It all started with a conversation I had with my cousin who has never been lucky in love. She always seemed to attract losers. She was in the middle of telling me about her latest boyfriend whom she recently met at a bar here in Winnipeg when she stopped to tell me about a dream she had.

In the dream she saw two eagles flying in the sky; in a circle a small eagle was in the center and a larger eagle was on the outside. In her dream she was amazed and in awe of how beautiful these eagles were when all of a sudden the big eagle swooped down and scratched her eyeballs out and carried them away. We laughed and then she continued to tell me about her boyfriend, who didn't sound any good to me.

I thought about it then, how the eagle represents love in the teachings. It was obvious she was looking for love in all the wrong places. This is where I got the inspiration for my series. Comment:  Thanks for telling us this painting is about love. I probably wouldn't have guessed that. <g>

For more on modern Native art, see Incredible Hulk, Guitar, and Buffalo Skull and Boba Fett Meets Coyote.