Related Experience

In this section you will find all the workshops I have attended during my time at Queen's University. These workshops were either optional or as a part of the course taken. I had the chance to audit many of the paper and paintings lecture courses, yet not their lab courses which is where the practical techniques took place. However, they offered various workshops to other students which I happily attended such as the cyanotype and indigo dyeing workshop. There are also other workshop such as the gilding workshop that was put together in order to learn about various gilding techniques. Some of the workshops held in the artifacts lab were skin processing with Helena Neveau, held during the animal products term. This gave the students a wonderful opportunity to see the labour involved in processing a deer hide into rawhide.

There were also various cultural programming workshops which were put on by the Four Directions Indigenous Center at Queen's University which I attended. These include drum making, moccasin making, and mitten making. The moccasins seen in the header above, I have made for myself and my niece. These workshops offer a unique hands on experience about learning traditional methods of manufacturing various items used from pre-contact until today. Along with the physical material produced, the workshop leader offers stories (oral histories) about the Anishinaabe and Haudenausaunee teachings that go with these objects. Stories include the creation story, medicine wheel teachings, and the seven Grandfather teachings (respect, humility, honesty, love, truth, bravery, wisdom), teachings that guide many indigenous peoples today.