21 3/4 x 28 1/2

Ed. of 100

Reawakening is a design of a Thunderbird and Orca. There is a story of an orca getting trapped at the mouth of the river where it meets the ocean and the whale is eating all of the salmon before they swim up river. The people in the villages along the river begin to starve so they call upon Thunderbird to come take the orca away. Like Thunderbirds preying on Orcas, we as Indigenous peoples are also starting to remove obstacles in our way. Our resilience as Indigenous people stems from our ancestors, along with guidance from the spirit world. Our culture and traditions are in danger of being lost because of the Indian Act (which is still in effect now), Residential Schools, the Potlatch Ban…to name a few. However, our grandparents and great-grandparents survived this oppression. My generation is starting to break the traumas, and we are fighting hard to keep our culture and traditions alive. Today’s society is not only witnessing a reawakening, they are becoming a part of it! - Maynard Johnny Jr