On December 4th, the Ojibwa artist Norval Morrisseau passed away, leaving behind
him a remarkable legacy. Norval Morrisseau, an outstanding artist honoured
world-wide, painted over 10,000 works in his lifetime. Born in Northern Ontario,
Mr. Morrisseau was the spiritual leader of the Woodland Indian art movement. He
developed a style of his own and was the first to depict Ojibwa legends, myths
and history to the non-native world.
His subject matter was nature, but not ordinary ponds, loons and people. His
work carries us into a shadowy archetypal realm where in lakes swim mighty fish
armed with bolts of spiritual lightning and stylized bear spirits suddenly
blocking paths.
Son of a shaman, he gave the demi-gods of his people an image, and to Canadians
and Americans another window into the long and rich spiritual culture of the
peoples of native ancestry.
Few know, for instance, that the U.S. Constitution 1787 is based in part on the
model of government employed by the Iroquois Confederacy of five nations for
some 500 years. The Great Law of Peace, according to Oren Lyons, an Onondaga,
included “freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right of women to
participate in government.”
Peace is the spiritual goal of the Creator. The principles were transmitted by a
historical figure called a Peacemaker. His teachings emphasize the power of
reason to assure Righteousness, Justice and Health among humans. Peace came to
the Iroquois, not by war and conquest, but through the exercise of Reason guided
by the spiritual mind and natural law applied to human history. Leadership was a
sacred trust if one first proved himself or herself wise, honest and worthy of
confidence.
Long live the spirit of Norval Morrisseau, his brothers and sisters and
ancestors.
