PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Central Library’s project bridges traditional and modern Indigenous issues through art
Kalum Teke Dan’s most recent work depicts teens sitting around a campfire. Images from the stories they tell float amid the smoke and dust. There’s running horses, an eagle, petroglyphs and the towering presence of Chief Mountain, one of the most powerful symbols of southern Alberta’s Blood Tribe.
The spirits of Chief Shot on Both sides and Chief Red Crow hover in the sky. It’s one-third of a massive mural that greets people entering Calgary’s new Central Library.
The space, shared with artists Keegan Starlight, from Tsuu’tina Nation, and Roland Rollinmud, from the Stoney Nakoda reserve, is meant to depict not only the Treaty 7 regions where each artist is from but also the past, present and future of Indigenous life.
Dan’s contribution represents the future even if he was clearly inspired by his ancestors and the history of the Blood Tribe. But Dan sees celebrating the past as a pathway to the future for many of the youth he hopes will take in the mural while visiting Calgary’s newest library.
“Youth have a hard time finding their identity,” the 44-year-old artist said during an interview last week while on a short break from working on the mural. “When they find their identity, they find their path. For me, I started realizing what I was here for with the art. I’m showing everybody about our traditions, about our culture, the pride. The pride was lost through all the alcohol and stereotypes. That’s still going on to this day. I’m here to change that. I’m here to show them we’re proud. We’re not everything people made us out to be. We’re here, we’re proud, we’re the future.”
It’s a bold statement and fitting for a largely self-taught artist who has been developing a bold artistic style since he was a high school student in Calgary.
Unlike much of his family, he grew up in the city rather than on a reserve. His mother was a hardworking civil servant who retired after 30 years working at city hall. She encouraged her son’s artistic pursuits but also wanted him to be raised in the city and attend city schools. So his grandparents made sure he felt a connection to his history and the imagery of his culture.
“I don’t dream like that anymore, but when I was young I used to dream a lot about all this stuff,” Dan says. “My grandparents were really spiritual. They kept the spirituality alive in the youth. It seems like it hit me more because I grew up in the city.”
The mural is part of Calgary Public Library’s $500,000 Indigenous Placemaking project at the new central branch, which opened Thursday. Six artists were selected to contribute as part of the nonprofit Place-Making Council of Canada’s mandate to restore “Indigenous presence to the fabric of our cities, towns and communities.”
Library staff and members of the Indigenous Place-Making Council of Canada visited the Stoney Nation, Siksika Nation, Tsuu’tina Nation, Metis Nation of Alberta and Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary to discuss the placemaking process.
Alongside Dan, Starlight and Rollinmud, Cree artist Lionel Peyachew created a life-size buffalo sculpture made up of metal letters spelling out words in Indigenous languages. It will be on the stairs leading to the mezzanine level.
Glenna Cardinal of Saddle Lake Cree Nation built a table and furniture on the fourth level, while Brittney Bear Hat, a Black foot Cree artist, has created a text and photography-based piece.
The program offers a mix of traditional and contemporary Indigenous art, says program assistant Jared Tailfeathers.
“That’s a huge part of what’s been going on with the art around here, to honour the traditions that all the Indigenous nations and communities have around here but also to focus on living in the contemporary world and be able to adjust and welcome people who are not Indigenous and find a way to build a stronger community together,” he says. “That’s really the focus of the art, to bridge some of the gaps between tradition and contemporary Indigenous issues.”
Connecting the past and present is something Dan often feels when he is creating. In the past two decades, the artist has developed a thriving practice and business with his art that includes greeting cards, calendars, limited prints, T-shirts and a book. He has also produced a number of large-scale murals, including one at Edmonton’s NorQuest College, one for the Calgary Stampede and one on Calgary ’s 17th Avenue that was part of the 15-artist Beltline Urban Murals Project.
“When I started out as an artist 20 years ago it was really hard, especially to be a native artist,” Dan says. “People didn’t understand the culture, we were living with all these stereotypes from the past. There was stuff that happened through residential schools that we suffered through and had to adapt. A lot of people didn’t believe us, trust us or even give us the time of day.
“Now, because I continued to paint for over 20 years, I’ve got a huge fan base. My phone rings off the hook. I’m trying to finish murals and people are ordering paintings for Christmas. I’m doing a mural next July for $35,000 in Marda Loop. All these things are happening and I’m just trying to keep painting.”
Through it all, Dan says he never forgets the lessons his grandparents taught him about the Blood Tribe and Blackfoot people.
“I feel that they are with me all the time,” says Dan. “My grandparents are gone now. My dad passed away when I was very little. But they were very traditional and I feel like they are there when I paint.”
That’s a huge part of what’s been going on with the art around here, to honour the traditions ... but also to focus on living in the contemporary world.