Recently, I was traveling north of Grand Marais and stopped to visit a niiji (friend). While visiting her studio, we saw different animal tracks in the snow. I commented on the waabooz (rabbit) tracks running through her yard. She shared a story about how she would often greet and feed the waawaashkeshi (deer) in the morning. Often, she would tell the ayaabe (buck) to shoo when he would bully the does. In her sharing of this story, I had such an amazing visual of this story that I asked her if I could paint it. She said eya (yes).
Ojibwe members of the waawaashkeshi doodem (deer clan) are known for their kindness, gentle and soft-spoken nature. In this piece, Niimi (She Dances) greets her waawaashkeshi friends at sunrise with friendship and food, and honors them with a dance.
My work can be found online on Instagram and Facebook under the name Crane Superior and I can be reached at: cranesuperiorstudio@gmail.com.
