The Capes
The Capes were designed to honor the Kanien'kehake "People of the Flint" or Mohawk peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The capes themselves are made of velveteen and a thick satin interior. The exterior colour is based on the purple colour seen in wampum belts. The ribbons on the bottom of the capes represent birth colours. The name of the recipients and years received are written permanently onto the capes as a lasting tribute and a licence to fly. Each recipient chooses the colour of their individual ribbon. Each name on the ribbon will be 10 centimeters in length, which to midwives represents imminent birth. The award is intended to be prominently displayed by recipients in a place of their choosing during the year of their award. At the end of that year those recipients will place their capes onto the shoulders of the next recipients in a visible tribute to the work of the new honourees.
The Capes were designed to honor the Kanien'kehake "People of the Flint" or Mohawk peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The capes themselves are made of velveteen and a thick satin interior. The exterior colour is based on the purple colour seen in wampum belts. The ribbons on the bottom of the capes represent birth colours. The name of the recipients and years received are written permanently onto the capes as a lasting tribute and a licence to fly. Each recipient chooses the colour of their individual ribbon. Each name on the ribbon will be 10 centimeters in length, which to midwives represents imminent birth. The award is intended to be prominently displayed by recipients in a place of their choosing during the year of their award. At the end of that year those recipients will place their capes onto the shoulders of the next recipients in a visible tribute to the work of the new honourees.
About the Artist:
Jenny Blackbird is a Toronto based Nehiyaw/Finnish Canadian multi disciplinary artist. She is a fashion design graduate, a hand drummer/singer, an old style jingle dress dancer and a community auntie with the Giwedin Anang program at Aboriginal Legal Services. Jenny is one of the co-hosts of the CIUT radio show "Indigenous Waves". She currently works as the events coordinator for CKQ language initiative program at University of Toronto's Centre for Indigenous Studies. |