Art exhibition in Bemidji explores generational stories of an Ojibwe village at White Earth Nation
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Artist Kent Estey says he first collected photos and interviews from elders of the White Earth Nation’s Naytahwaush community four decades ago.
For many years, sharing the stories from Naytahwaush’s community and the people living within the reservation village in northwestern Minnesota had been on his mind.
“I really started to see the importance of gathering photos of the community and gathering stories and interviewing elders,” Estey said. The photos and stories that he collected were used for a community newspaper he says he started in 1985.
A new exhibition at the Watermark Art Center in Bemidji titled “Minwaajimowinan — Good Stories” features generational art pieces and stories from Naytahwaush. Estey, who is guest curating the exhibition, describes Naytahwaush as a “small community” of around 500 people “on the banks of the North Twin Lake.”
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A focus on positive stories
Estey, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, says the initial idea for the art show came to him after watching the news.
“My wife and I were watching the news one morning and we heard another sad story from our community,” Estey said. “I told my wife, I said, ‘You know, I'm tired of just hearing bad news from our little communities on the reservation,’ because I know better. We are so much more than the bad things that happen to us.”
The exhibition showcases artworks from the varying generations of eight families, including Estey’s. Basket making goes back several generations in his family.
Estey says his grandmother’s experience of being in boarding school inspired her to create beautiful basketry. Her mother taught her how to make baskets before she left for boarding school at 9 years old. When she returned from boarding school around age 19, her artistry helped her process the change she had gone through while away from the reservation.
“When she returned from the boarding schools and she returned to the little village of Naytahwuash, she said the land was gone. The language was gone. All the culture and traditions were gone or against the law,” he said. “What they couldn't take from her was her basketry.”
Another highlight on display from Estey’s family is a quilt his mother gave to him. The quilt was made in 1960 by a group of 24 women within the Naytahwaush community. Each square on the quilt is stitched by hand and signed by each woman. He says the piece was part of an effort to create community quilts to gift for important celebrations, such as weddings or the birth of a new baby.
“I'm sure my mother would have never, ever thought that this quilt would ever be hanging in a gallery and on display for the world to see,” Estey said. “I hope that people come and they recognize a name, they recognize a family presence in the room.”
Naytahwaush artists of all ages
Jakob Littlewolf is a 27-year-old emerging “fluid artist.” Littlewolf’s artwork includes pouring acrylic paint onto a white canvas and shaping it into different designs using items like toothpicks or straws.
“It's kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what I do, because all my pieces are unique. I can’t repeat any kind of pattern or process or anything like that,” he said.
Littlewolf says he started creating art a couple of years ago, though he’s always been interested in it. For him, it’s been an outlet in his journey of sobriety — he recently celebrated two years at the end of December.
“I want people to attend this show and see all of our work and say, ‘Hey, you know, I want to be a part of that, or I want to have a platform to express myself or showcase my talent.’ You know, just try that for themselves,” Littlewolf said.
Two pieces by Littlewolf are on display alongside art by his mother and sister in the gallery.
Community member, Mary Turner, also has artwork featured in the gallery. Turner has been sewing since she was a child. Three of her artworks are showing in the exhibition — a ribbon shirt with a matching breechcloth, a doll-sized ribbon skirt and jingle dress and a wall hanging made from Naytahwaush Harvest Festival t-shirts.
As a child, Turner says she moved to Naytahwaush after her father bought the local general store.
“I have very fond memories of the elders, of the people, and the way the community was. It was a good place to grow up,” Turner said.
She later married her husband, former White Earth Nation chairman, Rev. Irvin “Doyle” Turner. She says the two were married for “56 and a half years” and had three children together.
“Even though I'm not enrolled, living in that community for so long, things sort of become part of you as well,” Turner said.
She says her nephew’s photography is also included in the gallery. Turner’s son, a musician, is set to perform at the gallery’s public reception on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 3-5 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.
For Turner, the gallery emphasizes what the small community of Naytahwaush can do in terms of creativity. “There's a lot of variety of artists and creativity, which is awesome,” she said.
Estey says other artworks include textiles, beadwork, basketry and leather works.
“We're able to bring just eight of these families forward and kind of showcase their work and tell the story of this little village that's in the heart of the White Earth Reservation,” Estey said.
“Minwaajimowinan — Good Stories” will be at the Watermark Art Center through March 28.
The Watermark Art Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Chandra Colvin covers Native American communities in Minnesota for MPR News via Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
