Jay Carrier, Wolf Clan, Onondaga/Tuscarora Nations (1963-2025)

Labels by Nancy Weekly

In the far distance, a golden glimmer of light radiates behind blue dusk hills along the wooded river’s edge. On our side of the flowing water, a bank of mature grasses and wildflowers cloak the shore. Blue and white feathers sway in the breeze. The evocative Niagara River and Gorge provide solace for Jay Carrier, as his thoughts emerge in a misty fog filled with traces of an Onondagan wampum belt for remembrance. Grief. Healing. To be one with nature as one mourns the loss of family. The land provides sustenance, as the teaching of elders has proven. Here, real dried plants transition a portal to the metaphysical—an eternal, universal experience.   

For Kids:

Do you have a special place you like to visit when you feel sad? Does nature comfort you with its bird songs, flowering plants, rippling water, fresh air? Do you also visit when you want to be inspired, to enjoy the simple pleasures in life…to connect with nature? Artist Jay Carrier goes to his favorite place along the Niagara River and Gorge because it is part of his Native American heritage. He even glued real dried plants in his painting to make it special. How would you paint, draw, or collage your favorite place?

(See Ganondagan, “What is Wampum?” http://ganondagan.org/Learning/Wampum) (NW 2018)