Post #92

Water Connections Through Niimaamaa

On May 18th, 2022, the Public Art: Nuit Blanche and Other Ruptures Course was fortunate to receive a tour and discussion by our fellow classmate, celebrated artist, KC Adams, of her public artworks located at the Forks. One of the artworks that KC Adams shared was Niimaamaa, a thirty-foot sculpture made of polished, painted steel, copper, and core ten metal. Niimaamaa was created in collaboration by three artists, KC Adams, Jaimie Isaac, and Val Vint in 2018 as part of the “Acts of Compassion” series of public artworks curated by Julie Nagam. Niimaamaa, connects to a number of themes that have been discussed throughout our class such as community, honouring ancestors, connecting with water and land, and motherhood.

Artwork, *Niimaamaa*. Photos by C. Leduc, 2022.

Niimaamaa means “my mother” in Cree, Ojibwe, and Michif. The sculpture represents the silhouette of a pregnant mother looking towards the Red River with seven long strands of hair reaching down to the earth. Adams shared with the class some of the layers of meaning that Niimaamaa carries, such as, the seven strands of hair of Niimaamaa represent the seven sacred teachings: love, respect, honesty, courage, humility, wisdom, and truth. She also shared with us that mothers are our first teachers and she wanted to honour that through this artwork. Adams told us that the Niimaamaa is the mother to all of us, Mother Earth, and a reminder that we have all been born from a mother and are connected to this cycle of life and mothers through that. The sculpture reminds me that when our biological mother was in her mother’s womb, part of us was an egg within our mother, so part of us was once held within our grandmother’s body and connects us to a lineage of grandmothers and ancestors. KC Adams shared, “We are all born into this world.” The topic of motherhood has come up many times within many rich discussions throughout the course. Connections of the ideas of motherhood related to nature, the ideas of mothers as carriers of water in the womb, the challenges that mothers face trying to balance family and work life, complexities that can arise in our maternal relationships, and the wisdom passed on to us from our maternal figures. There were many instances where I felt the presence of our mothers with us in the class, be that in the sharing of an expression our mothers may have, words of wisdom, and in one case, the physical presence of a classmate’s mother who came along with us for the tour at The Forks.

On the front of Niimaamaa there are copper scales which can be seen as representing strength and protection, like a suit of armour. Yet, the scales also appear smooth, precious or even delicate. This dichotomy represents the symbol of motherhood, a combination of strength and nurture coming together. The scales are also reminiscent of Nuliajuk, the legendary Inuit mother of animals. Nuliajuk is often represented as being transformed into a half-woman-half-fish figure and is a powerful creator and protector of animals.

The location of Niimaamaa at the Forks reminded me of how all water is connected, not only the local connection of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meeting at the Forks, but their journeys to the sea and our connection to land and water on the earth. It stirs us the reminder of our connection to the ancient lake, Lake Agassi. In the 2021 Nuit Blanche podcast, Belonging to Place, Episode 10, “Moving Through Water,” Critical Thinker, Niigaan Sinclair shares the story of the creation of Turtle Island, and shared a moving connection to Manitoba and Lake Agassi through the telling of the creation story. Speaking of Manitoba, he shares, “this is the place that life comes from.” (Nagam, 2021). Standing next to Niimaamaa where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet reinforces these connections to time, place, and belonging.

References

Nagam, Julie. Nuit Blanche podcast, Belonging to Place, Episode 10, “Moving Through Water,” 2021. https://player.captivate.fm/episode/429362fc-c986-45b4-8194-d1c27f425233

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Colleen Leduc

Post #93

Post #91