The previous post was a prelude to a more extensive and in depth look into a project that I am proud to be documenting. I could start by writing about the company, give a generic introduction to the project and call it something abhorrent like “Canada’s best kept secret”, fortunately that’s not how we do things around here; I will however, retrace my day spent with members of the Cree Nation in Norway House, a small rural community north of Lake Winnipeg. Enough. Let’s flip the cover. Sometime last week, I was flown out to Winnipeg along with a few other media-related invitees to meet Sean McCormick, founder and CEO of Manitobah Mukluks (more on Sean & Manitobah Mukluks in Part 2 of the Visual Essay).
The first thing I noticed is a contagious passion and sympathy in regards to the dying tradition of aboriginal art. In fact, Aboriginal art does not receive the recognition nor value it truly deserves especially when we think of the numerous companies mass-producing replica moccasins and mukluks, selling them dirt cheap, making it impossible for the aboriginal community’s lack of brand identity to compete and market their goods in a postmodern shopper’s world… Which brings us to the matter at hand; Sean has developed the Storyboot project in which Manitobah Mukluks commissions aboriginal craft-artists to hand cut, sew & embroider Mukluk boots in the method they were always meant to be made. Not only is it a means to revive the art but also as a way to give back what is deserved to the native community.
The premise of our journey was to visit Norway House and meet one of the artists contributing to the collection of one-off’s. We were lucky enough to have time to roam around the town which gave us a glimpse into the social imperfections making the Storyboot project that much more relevant when in situ.
At last, we get to observe each needle and thread meticulously puncture the freshly smoked deer hide; it’s a visually mind-numbing experience similar to watching the timelapse of an architectural build site. We sat in the room for a while, asked her questions about her past, about the community but most importantly about the art of handcraft and how it is bringing the Cree nation together.
This isn’t nearly the end of our journey nor is it the conclusion to my visual essay. We have yet to see the arms holding up the curtains, the people sweating to make project’s like this possible, a less romantic but equally pertinent side of the company. Hold tight we’ll wrap up the dichotomy in a few days.
