MAZINAAJIM
Native American
Picture-Stories


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True Stories -- Many truths. Mazinaajim -- in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language) is a word I compounded. The first part -- mazinaate -- is a meaning-part that derives from the old root "design, is or has a design". The second part, aajim is a simple verb meaning "to tell any kind of story."

I'm looking for more of these -- interpreted storyrobes, modern cartoon or drawing sequences, birchbark scroll interpretations, and the like. Native cartoonists -- inquire! (No pay naturally.)



<<====Picture Stories Menu ====>>

Story Robe painted and stories told in 1909 by He Dog (Percy Creighton), Blackfoot-Blood. Glenbow Museum special exhibit. After reading explanation, choose imagemap page to click on for closeups of the robe with the story of each part translated, expressed in words.

Raven's elaborate trick Gwich'in elder tells a Raven story -- which is first illustrated as a picture story by Gwichin artist Ron English, then retold in full in text.

Don Monet, cartoon of the day -- author-artist-cartoonist of Colonialism on Trial now works in Toronto and posts a (political) cartoon a day on his studio website; no telling what's there now. These cartoons may be downloaded (in higher resolution black and white zipped form) for free use in non-profit org periodicals. From Don's archives, here's some Native ones:

  • Colorful modification of a Colonialism trial cartoon -- shows communictions problems between "quantitative" legalistic way of thought and curvilinear nature-oriented Nativ way. This cartoon shows the communications gap as probably more general than white/Indian -- two very different ways of thought -- artistic vs statistic, numbers vs. meanings; money vs. values are all suggested

  • Evolution of colonialist justice -- from Columbus to today's courts

  • NATO plays war games on Cree territory. Overflights have had greatest negative effects on Innu people whose elders have been arrested blocking runways.

  • Colonialism changes face, but not nature -- Caricature of election of new rightist politicians

  • Ontario police murder Dudley George -- Ipperwash, Sept. 1995: Stoney-Kettle Point Ojibwe tribe attempting rturn of land illegally taken for local park

  • Cree vote NO to Quebec -- YES for Native land rights obligations of Canadian government to continue

  • Delgam Uukw is this color of sky in Gitksan language. Land and skyscape oil painting from Monet's home in B.C. when he was working on the Gitksan Wet'suwet'en land rights trial book, first of his paintings gallery. The name is also a hereditary High Chief title and the name of a Gitksan district. The formal name of the land claims court case is DELGAMUUKW VS. THE QUEEN.

Wet'suwe'ten Images, Greetings -- Enrichment Project 8th graders from a school at Smithers, (British Columbia) -- where the trial began in 1987 before the judge moved it 1300 kms. away -- mentored by artist Ron Mitchell (Hagwilnekhlh) -- continue the Gitksan-Wet'suwet'en land claims story with traditional learning modern style: the Bulkley Valley cyberhistory project in a town school.

  • Philosophy of History -- Court unable to deal with a native philosophy of history. Canadian law journal article, abstract only. This provides some historical-legal background to the Gitksan-Wetsu'weten land claim law cases.


    Ledger CDROM Project-- background, general info, table of contents.



    Stereotype Image Stories


    Chief Wahoo Story -- Protests continue on the caricature mascot of the Cleveland Indians baseball team

    • Chief Wahoo Caricature -- Drunken Indians -- Cleveland Indians don't only flaunt the racist caricature, but theTeam shop sells it on highball and shot glasses, the racist merchandising of the stereotype that Indians are drunks.



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    CREDITS: Ledger drawing is left half of double-page drawing (another mounted warrior's lance spans the two pages) from the ledger, "Black Hawk, Sans Arc Lakota Dream Visions" copied to the ledger art CDROM project from Thaw collection of the New York Historical Society, Cooperstown, NY. Chief Wahoo: mascot and racist caricature trademark of Cleveland Indians baseball team, has been focus of continuing protests and a never-finished AIM lawsuit since 1978.


    Page prepared by Paula Giese graphics and layout copyright 1995, 1996

    Copyrights to the individual items are held by their respective creators, 1996.

    Last updated: 5/27/97