Creative Manitoba Coaches: Albert McLeod, Indigenous Protocols in Art

Summary

Albert MacLeod, of Scottish and Northern Cree descent, discusses decolonizing as creating safe spaces for indigenous storytelling. Based in Winnipeg, he works on indigenous knowledge, language, and cultural reclamation, particularly from the Ojibwe perspective. MacLeod collaborates with an Ojibwe language mentor and serves as an independent artist and cultural facilitator, guiding artists through history to understand indigenous values and expressions. He emphasizes the importance of humor, accuracy, and community engagement in art and life, encouraging aspiring indigenous artists to embrace their ancestral gifts and use them creatively.

Takeaways

• 🌱 **Decolonizing**: It's about creating safe spaces for indigenous people to share their stories and understand their cultural expressions.
• 👤 **Albert MacLeod**: A cultural facilitator and artist from Palm, Manitoba, with Scottish and Northern Cree ancestry, focusing on indigenous knowledge and language reclamation.
• 🏡 **Living in Winnipeg**: Albert has been living in Winnipeg for 40 years, working with an Ojibwe language mentor and focusing on indigenous perspectives in culture, philosophy, spirituality, and healing.
• 🎨 **Art in Family History**: Art has been a part of Albert's family history, and he continues this tradition as an independent artist and cultural facilitator.
• 🌟 **Creative Manitoba**: Albert has been with Creative Manitoba for several years, presenting workshops and helping with ceremonies like smudging and teachings.
• 🔄 **Interweaving Art and Culture**: Albert's work involves using art to transmit indigenous knowledge and understanding the historical context of indigenous art and its importance for land-based survival and culture transmission.
• 🌐 **Engaging with Non-Indigenous Community**: He helps non-indigenous artists understand complex social norms and protocols for engaging with indigenous people and building good relationships.
• 🌱 **Decolonizing Process**: It requires stepping out of comfort zones, engaging with the community, and being patient in building relationships over time.
• 🗣️ **Importance of Protocols**: Indigenous culture relies on spiritual guidance, and protocols are crucial for engaging with the spiritual world and maintaining a balanced perspective.
• 😄 **Enjoyment and Humor**: Life and art should be joyful and fun, and patience is key to understanding that progress may not always follow a predetermined schedule.
• 📚 **Accuracy and Research**: It's essential to conduct thorough research and engage with the community to understand social norms and gain accurate knowledge about indigenous groups.
• 🆕 **New Knowledge**: There's always new knowledge to be discovered in indigenous history, which predates colonization by thousands of years, offering fresh insights and experiences.
• 🎭 **Aspiring Indigenous Artists**: Carry the inherent gifts passed down by ancestors and use them in art disciplines, as they are part of one's DNA and identity.

Q & A

What does the term 'decolonizing' mean in the context of the transcript?

Decolonizing refers to the process of making space for indigenous people to share their stories safely and to ask questions about their expressions and descriptions.

Who is Albert MacLeod and where is he originally from?

Albert MacLeod is a person of Scottish immigrant and Northern Cree ancestry, originally from Palm, Manitoba.

What is Albert MacLeod's current focus in Winnipeg?

Albert MacLeod is currently focusing on indigenous knowledge, language, cultural reclamation, primarily from the Ojibwe perspective.

How long has Albert MacLeod been with Creative Manitoba?

Albert MacLeod has been with Creative Manitoba for about four or five years.

What is Albert MacLeod's role within the indigenous community?

Albert MacLeod works as an independent artist and cultural facilitator, focusing on indigenous perspectives on culture, philosophy, spirituality, and healing.

What does Albert MacLeod do to help artists understand the history of indigenous knowledge and expression?

Albert MacLeod helps artists understand the history by providing a pathway from pre-contact times to the colonial period and the recent indigenous resurgence.

How does Albert MacLeod engage with the non-indigenous community?

Albert MacLeod engages with the non-indigenous community by explaining complex social norms and protocols for engaging with indigenous people and fostering good relationships.

What advice does Albert MacLeod give for decolonizing art and culture?

Albert MacLeod advises stepping outside of comfort zones, engaging with the community, being patient, clear about intentions, and understanding that it's a learning process over time.

What does Albert MacLeod emphasize as important in indigenous culture?

Albert MacLeod emphasizes the importance of humor, enjoying life, and the spiritual realm in guiding actions in indigenous culture.

What are the three key pieces of advice Albert MacLeod gives for engaging with indigenous art and culture?

Albert MacLeod advises to have fun, be accurate and well-researched, and to understand that there is always new knowledge to be discovered.

What does Albert MacLeod suggest for aspiring indigenous artists?

Albert MacLeod suggests that aspiring indigenous artists carry inherent gifts from their ancestors and should use those gifts to express their point of view about life in their chosen art discipline.

How does Creative Manitoba support Albert MacLeod's work?

Creative Manitoba provides a vehicle and support for Albert MacLeod's work, allowing him to balance community development with creative outlets.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Decolonizing and Indigenous Art

Albert MacLeod discusses decolonizing as a process of creating safe spaces for indigenous people to share their stories and explore their cultural expressions. He introduces himself as a person with Scottish and Northern Cree ancestry, living in Winnipeg and focusing on indigenous knowledge, language, and cultural reclamation. MacLeod works with an Ojibwe language mentor and engages in cultural facilitation, integrating art into his work to transmit knowledge. He emphasizes the historical importance of art in indigenous cultures for land-based survival and cultural transmission. MacLeod also provides a pathway for artists to understand the evolution of indigenous knowledge and expression from pre-contact times through colonial periods to the current indigenous resurgence. He works with the non-indigenous community to explain social norms and protocols for engaging with indigenous people, aiming to foster good relationships and understanding. He stresses the importance of stepping out of comfort zones, patience, and clear intentions in building relationships, which is a continuous learning process rather than a one-time event.

05:02

🎨 Indigenous Artistry and Joyful Creation

The second paragraph continues with MacLeod's insights on the role of joy and humor in the artistic process, emphasizing that art should be a joyful and fun experience. He advises aspiring indigenous artists to be accurate and thorough in their research, urging them to engage with the community directly to understand social norms. MacLeod highlights the importance of recognizing the new knowledge that can be discovered in indigenous history, which spans tens of thousands of years,远超 the relatively recent period of colonization. He encourages artists to embrace the inherent gifts passed down by their ancestors, which are integral to their artistic expression. MacLeod sees Creative Manitoba as a supportive vehicle for his work, allowing him to balance community development with creative expression. The paragraph concludes with the idea that art is not just about creating but also about the joyous process of creation.

Keywords

💡Decolonizing

Decolonizing refers to the process of undoing the effects of colonialism by giving indigenous people the opportunity to reclaim their culture, language, and knowledge. In the video, Albert MacLeod discusses how decolonizing involves creating safe spaces for indigenous people to share their stories and ask questions about their cultural expressions. This concept is central to the video's theme of cultural reclamation and healing.

💡Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous Knowledge encompasses the traditional and local knowledge, practices, and worldviews of indigenous peoples. It is deeply rooted in the land and the community. In the video, MacLeod emphasizes the importance of indigenous knowledge in art, culture, and spirituality, and how it differs from Western knowledge systems.

💡Cultural Reclamation

Cultural Reclamation is the process of reviving and reclaiming one's cultural heritage that may have been lost or suppressed due to colonization. MacLeod talks about his work in cultural reclamation, particularly focusing on the Ojibwe perspective, which includes language revitalization and the reintroduction of traditional practices.

💡Ojibwe

The Ojibwe are an indigenous people of the Great Lakes region of North America. In the transcript, MacLeod mentions working with an Ojibwe language mentor, indicating the importance of the Ojibwe culture and language in his work and the video's narrative.

💡Art

Art in the context of the video is not just a form of creative expression but also a medium for transmitting indigenous knowledge and culture. MacLeod discusses how art was integral to land-based survival and the transmission of culture historically and continues to play a significant role in contemporary indigenous art.

💡Spirituality

Spirituality in indigenous cultures often involves a deep connection with the natural world and the spiritual realm. MacLeod mentions that indigenous culture relies on the spiritual realm to guide actions and decisions, emphasizing the importance of spirituality in understanding indigenous perspectives.

💡Protocols

Protocols refer to the established systems of rules and conventions that govern social interactions within indigenous communities. MacLeod talks about the importance of understanding and respecting these protocols when engaging with indigenous people, which is crucial for building relationships and fostering cultural understanding.

💡Non-Indigenous Community

The term 'Non-Indigenous Community' is used to describe those who are not part of the indigenous population. MacLeod discusses his work with the non-indigenous community, helping them understand indigenous social norms and protocols to foster better relationships and cultural exchange.

💡Reconciliation

Reconciliation is the process of healing the relationships between indigenous peoples and colonial societies. It is mentioned in the context of interpreting history and reconciling the past with contemporary indigenous art and culture, indicating a forward-looking approach to healing historical wounds.

💡Indigenous Artist

An Indigenous Artist is someone who creates art from an indigenous perspective, often incorporating traditional knowledge and cultural elements. MacLeod encourages aspiring indigenous artists to recognize the inherent gifts passed down by their ancestors and to use these in their artistic expression.

💡Creative Manitoba

Creative Manitoba is mentioned as an organization that has supported MacLeod's work, providing a platform for him to balance community development with creative expression. It represents an avenue for indigenous artists to engage with broader audiences and share their cultural perspectives.

Highlights

Decolonizing involves creating safe spaces for indigenous people to share their stories.

Albert MacLeod's ancestry includes Scottish immigrant and Northern Cree backgrounds.

Albert has been living in Winnipeg for 40 years, focusing on indigenous knowledge and cultural reclamation.

He works with an Ojibwe language mentor and is involved with Creative Manitoba.

Albert's work includes workshops and ceremonies like smudging, emphasizing their importance.

He is an independent artist and cultural facilitator with a focus on indigenous perspectives.

Albert explores the history of indigenous art and its importance to land-based survival and cultural transmission.

He provides artists with a historical pathway from pre-contact times to the present indigenous resurgence.

Albert helps non-indigenous artists understand social norms and protocols when engaging with indigenous communities.

Decolonizing requires stepping out of comfort zones and engaging with the community.

It's important to be patient and clear about intentions when building relationships with indigenous communities.

Indigenous people across Canada and North America have distinct histories and protocols.

Albert emphasizes the importance of humor and enjoying life from an indigenous perspective.

Accuracy and thorough research are crucial when engaging with indigenous history and culture.

There is always new knowledge to be discovered in indigenous history and culture.

Aspiring indigenous artists carry inherent gifts passed down from their ancestors.

Creative Manitoba has been a great support and outlet for Albert's work.

Transcripts

decolonizing

is making space for indigenous people to

share their stories in a safe way

and to ask questions about what their

expressions

are about you know what are they

describing

name is albert macleod i originally come

from the palm manitoba

and my ancestry is scottish immigrant as

well as

northern cree who work together in the

hudson bay company for trade

i've been living in winnipeg for the

last 40 years

focusing now around indigenous knowledge

indigenous language cultural reclamation

primarily from the ojibwe perspective i

work with an

ojibwe language mentor and doing my work

in winnipeg

yeah i've been with creative manitoba

about four or five years

working in presenting workshops but also

helping with ceremony like with smudging

and teachings which i think are very

important

art sort of is flows in my family

history

and so that was something i wanted to

explore and so today

i continue my work but more as an

independent

artist cultural facilitator with the

focus on indigenous perspectives

on culture philosophy

spirituality and healing and i

interweave sort of the

perspective of art or how art is used to

transmit that knowledge

in my work i kind of go back into

history and help artists understand how

we got to where we are

some of the values we have about

knowledge particularly

indigenous knowledge and then expression

which would include

the arts i kind of weave in that

historic idea that you know indigenous

people

were artists art was very important to

land-based survival and the transmission

of culture

and also it's it's even more important

today for this generation who is

i know interpreting the history you know

decolonizing

and reconciling that past to their art

so i kind of provide artists with that

pathway

that goes from you know pre-contact

times

into the colonial period and the more

recent indigenous resurgence

how i work with the non-indigenous

community is

to explain some of the more complex and

sophisticated

social norms and protocols in engaging

with indigenous people uh indigenous

knowledge and how to have a good

relationship

in the community and you know having

conversations about

art theory art expression visions

and and those kind of things so it's

more or less you know creating a

a good relationship with the community

uh with non-indigenous artists so they

understand you know that they're not

sort of

reaching certain protocols that are

important

and sort of just guiding them in that

way today

uh in terms of decolonizing we have to

step outside of our comfort zone outside

of our boxes

and go into the community and engage

that way and it's so it's a learning

process that

is not going to be immediate so we have

to be patient

and be clear about our intentions and

that

you know it's over time that we create

this relationship

and in many cases it's not a one-off

it's the beginning of a journey of

learning

and of sharing and that's what i kind of

see with artists

you know it is a reflection of our

points of view or world views

but in decolonizing it's making space

for indigenous

people to share their stories in a safe

way and to

ask questions about what their

expressions

are about you know what are they

describing across canada and north

america there's very

diverse groups of indigenous people that

have distinct

histories and protocols the ones that we

have in this region

is about creating a relationship with

the individual

we kind of really focus on you know the

foibles of being human

and in the indigenous culture we rely on

the spiritual realm to guide us as well

in

what we do in our lives so that's why

these

protocols are very important because

you know humans only have a certain

range of view

whereas when we engage elements of the

spiritual world whether it's the plant

world

the animal world or the sky world that

that can really

change the dynamic well i think

having fun is probably at the top and

that

you know from the indigenous perspective

life is generally about

humor and enjoying your life

and again i mentioned earlier being

patient not everything is going to

happen

on a schedule that you know is

predetermined

and so being more flexible and fluid and

letting the

the joy and the humor come into the work

and that you know things will

ultimately get done but again it should

be a joyful process and i think that's

what art

is about it should be something that is

uh

joyful and and fun the second one is

i think as being accurate knowing your

stuff

right and studying and doing background

research

a lot of times people just do

superficial research about a particular

topic or

indigenous group that's why i said you

really need to get out from behind your

desk or studio or whatever

and go into the community and spend some

time there and learn about the social

norms

of that particular community third is is

there's always new knowledge

indigenous history goes back tens of

thousands of years

and colonization is relatively recent

three to four hundred years and so in

this journey of exploration

of our expression and history and vision

you know we can expect to find new

things that other people have not

seen before or heard before or

experienced before

and so that's that sort of layering of

history and

relationship and spirituality

for the aspiring indigenous artist

you carry inherent gifts you know that

have been passed forward to you by your

ancestors

who live in art and lived in art every

day

and to realize that that that was a gift

from your ancestors

and it's in your hands it's in your mind

you know it's your

point of view about life and so every

day we have that opportunity to pick up

those tools

and begin to use them and they will work

you know whatever discipline and art

that you're interested in

it will work because you carry that gift

it's in your dna there's a lot to

express

so i think creative manitoba has been

that vehicle for me

has really been a great support to my

work and is kind of a

an avenue where i get to balance the

more intense

work i do in community development with

more of a creative outlet

[Music]

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