Necklaces form circles which are important to Indigenouse cultures. They understand that everything is connected — you, me, Morher Earth and Father Sky. The Metis adopted the infinity symbol because they believed their culture and people would survive forever. Below is Grandma Pearl’s necklace with the Metis infinity symbol.

Mary and her Metis Grandma

Pocahontas — An Untrue Stereotype 

In Mary and her Metis Grandma, my Grandma Pearl explained the true story about Pocahontas and other steryotypes. Needless to say, I did not dress up as Pocahontas for that or any other Halloween. That year I went as a hippie with peace signs painted on my cheeks and an old necklace with the peace symbol for a pendant.

Meeting Indigenous Elders

When researching for Mary and her Metis Grandma, I went to meet some Elders, Teressa and Simon. As we drove to Little Pine Reserve we stopped at different places to purchase gifts for them; giving a gift shows respect and appreciation for their knowledge. I gave her a necklace with an abalone pendant shaped into the image of a wolf. She loved it. Her immediate reaction was to put the necklace on, and her joyous excitement was rubbing off on me. It took away my nervousness and gave me confidence.

Rita Jasper

I am Indigenous Cree/Metis.  Main accomplishments:

1) Mary and her Metis Grandma: a coming-of-age story. Based on true stories, this is a gripping work of auto-fiction / biography and memoir that results in historical accountability.

Filled with wisdom, grit and honesty, this is the journey of a Métis teenager overcoming personal grief, family traumas, witnessing the pain of others, and experiencing the healing power of a Grandma’s love.

Instead of succumbing to self-pity, Mary rises above her presumed narrative with courage and love as her Grandma takes Mary under her wing to guide her into the mature woman she will become.

and

2) Moon Water: a documentary about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Moon Water was distributed primarily to educational institutions throughout N. America.

My childhood was spent in Jasper, Alberta, surrounded by nature. My amazing mother encouraged me to write stories and paint or draw pictures for her; she was my first teacher.

https://ritajasperart.com/

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www.ritajasperart.com