Kaaren Dannenmann
KaarenOlsen: kaarenolsen@knet.ca

When we were first contacted and invited to do a banner, we were informed that the theme was “Pioneers” and so I went to the dictionary to find exactly what that meant.  The dictionary under my table says:  One who ventures into unknown or unclaimed territory to settle.  That kind of rankled, it was like the same old terra nullius mentality and I thought I should depict something to remind others that this was not terra nullius, that, in fact, it was populated by huge groupings of people such as those of the atik tootem, the caribou clan. 

My painting was meant to depict the holistic and inclusive belief system and life patterns of the Anishinaape of this area and their communities which included the land and all the life on the land.  We may be invisible to most people, but we are vibrant and flourishing, resilient and healthy, strong.  This banner is meant to honour my people, the Anishinaapek of the past, present and future.