2" Vinyl Die-Cut Sticker, Weatherproof

Atu'tuej is the word for Squirrel in L'nuisi (Mi'kmaw language).

Squirrels are strong and resilient, like us!

I have this squirrel that visits me regularly who I feed peanuts to and has befriended my cats. Her name is Puck, and she is a very special one who is gentle and very consent-oriented. I'm very lucky to have a friend like Puck!

Tepknu'set means Moon in the Mi'kmawisimk language.

Tepknu'set is a street art and indigenous literacy project that incorporates Indigenous history, knowledges and language into the urban periphery.

Give this sticker to a friend or stick it on some of your favourite stuff to show off your Indigenous pride and bring our languages back!

Tracked Shipping Packet is $15 sent by Canada Post.

**Can be sent by lettermail using an old fashioned stamp at your own risk!

All About The Tepknu'set Project:

I have illustrated three city animals, a squirrel, raccoon and pigeon.

These illustrations became part of an urban-Indigenous street art project in 2017 where I affixed wheat pastes and stickers in urban centres to create dialogue about land, language, consent and interruption. I also did this to cope with difficult feelings I was having about land injustice at the time!

These animals are often viewed as nuisances and pests to the general public. I have chosen these animals to portray my project and draw upon a metaphor of what is oft called "The Indian Problem", something that everybody sees, but nobody wants to. Something uncomfortable but demands attention in order for social change and reconciliation to occur. The survival of the indigenous reminds us of a colonial failure that no one was prepared for. it also reminds that the problem isn't going away

I have researched the indigenous languages spoken in this territory: Ojibwe (Anishnaabowin), Mohawk, Cree (and Mi’kmaq) and have translated the animals' names in each language and affixed these names individually onto each poster, separately. At this time, I am only offering Mi'kmaw stickers in this 2021 product reprint to focus my heart and intentions.

I had some distinct intentions with these animals: to harken a reference to spirit animal totems, to create community as a means of cultural representation in the public sphere, to interrupt colonial spaces with indigenous words, to disrupt the spaces I cannot consent to while walking through the city, to see my heritage represented honorably and with pride!

The TRC recommendations link restoration of language to cultural healing and reconciliation. In Mareike Neuhaus’ Decolonizing Poetics of Indigenous Literatures, asserts that there is a major epistemological difference in the language structure of indigenous languages, which are primarily verb-based and holophrastic, meaning, that individual words serve as a clause, or story. This means that language must be included within any act of cultural restoration, lest a major source of cultural information be missing.

This project has been inspired by Susan Blight’s Ogima Mikana placename project and Leanne Simpson’s book of poetry Islands of Decolonial Love. I seek to expand the works to include site-specific text based works that incorporate Toronto’s urban, colonial and cultural history into attractive and informative posters. These posters may include modest illustration, but primarily will include site, region and street-specific historical references.

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