Erika Iserhoff says she’s done playing nice. From the genocide of indigenous people in residential schools, to the appropriation of their imagery and clothing by modern brands and designers, the multidisciplinary James Bay Cree artist says there’s long been a tradition of others trying to “tell us what our culture is.”
“There are so many things we need to heal from,” she adds. “We need to tell our own story.”
With that in mind, Iserhoff and fellow artist Sage Paul, a Dene designer from Toronto, are presenting Indian Giver, a curated multimedia art exhibition confronting the pilfering of indigenous culture head-on.
Sage Paul and Erika Iserhoff, two of the artists behind the show, Indian Giver, at Gallery 1313 Queen St W, Toronto. (Photo: Cole Burston for Toronto Star)
The exhibition’s in-your-face name is a “cheeky title” hinting at cultural appropriation, Paul says. But it also references the dark history of colonization.
“Indian Giver” was a term used by Europeans, Iserhoff says, referring to the indigenous economic system based on bartering and gift exchange. It also references the potlatch — a traditional gift-giving celebration practiced by certain indigenous groups, which was a focus of assimilation policies in Canada and the United States throughout the late 1800s. [...]