Western University unveiled a new mural depicting the creation story of the Anishinabek tribe. The mural, depicting how the Earth was created on the back of a turtle shell according to the Anishinabek myth, was revealed on Sept 21 at the Thames Hall Jeff and Shelley Parr Family Atrium.
“There are different versions of the creation story.” Said Jeanette Ladd, the painter of the mural. “Other people that you know share the same story, but there might be a little bit of a tweak of something added. Our language is spoken not written so things, may have changed along the way.”
Radd was able to create this mural for western through a special program Western was hosting. “It was an open proposal for any artist to apply,” Radd said. “I love the creation story and so I wanted to paint it. You could have chosen like any of the walls within the atrium space you could do anything in the atrium space. I had to do like a timeline of how long it would take, materials that I wanted to use, even the maintenance of the piece if I was the accepted artist.”
Radd hopes that her art brings comfort to Western students, both indigenous and otherwise. “For the indigenous students I want them to see a little little piece of home like. For the other students, I’m hoping that they feel a piece of calm when they look at the piece.”
Western’s students seem to really appreciate the new mural, and what it represents. “I think it’s a beutiful piece to add to Western,” said Jacklyn Bagley, a student at Western University. “I’ve honestly never seen anything that represents Indigenous identity and culture at Western, so I think it’s a great staple.”
