Known as an accomplished instrumentalist and popular entertainer, Ed Peekeekoot offers hope and strength with original music from his First Nations perspective.
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Ed Peekeekoot played in the Special, "Aboriginal Day Live 09" filmed live by APTN TV for National Aboriginal Day, June 20, on two stages, from Winnipeg and from Whitehorse. Ed performed on the Whitehorse stage. The Special was aired simultaneously on TV, Radio and the Internet.
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Ed Peekeekoot’s "in the key of cree" CD nominated for Best Country CD in the 2008 Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards, held in Winnipeg in conjunction with the Manito ahbee Festival. Ed is from the Ahtahkakoop Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan. He now lives in British Columbia.
From Patrick Doyle, CEO of NativeRadio.com, Taos, NM:
"Make no mistake, this is a master of the guitar." and
“I play over 1400 artists on NativeRadio.com and I must tell you that your music is truly some of the best I've heard. Every time I take the control board I almost always play your music. It is so excellent and so varied, that I inevitably find several slots to fit you in. Quite amazing really! "
Ed Peekeekoot performed at the Awards ceremonies of the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards at the 6,000-seat MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba in November 2008. His performance was filmed live by APTN TV.(Aboriginal People's Television Network) and Bellvu Express.
From Kelly Berehulka, Talent Buyer for the McPhillips St. Station Casino, Winnipeg, re the Awards ceremonies: "Ed had an awesome performance!"
And from Norm Lussier, producer of the APTN show:
"I love Ed! Great job!"
Ed Peekeekoot is a different genre of country: aboriginal country, or aboriginal roots. It is song-stories of the transition of hunter-gatherer to farmer in the Prairies; guitar instrumentals that paint the Northern Lights, seen best in the stillness of a Prairie night or harvest on the rez; along with hot fiddling of jigs and reels from all the old Prairie dances.
The featured track on "in the key of cree" is "Wild Lilies to Wheat Fields" which tells about the time of transition for his people with the move onto reservations and learning a new way of providing for their families—farming. This changed their relationship with the land.
"Jiggin’" is an instrumental piece. “I come from a family of fiddlers” Ed says. “My grandmother was a little Metis woman who would do a jig around the kitchen while my uncles played. Prairie dances were a highlight of the summer.”
"Dance of the Northern Lights" is also an instrumental. Cree legends say that the northern lights are the Spirits of the Ancestors. If you whistle, they will circle around you. Try it, but be prepared. Like the northern lights, the music comes and goes and isn’t over til it’s over.
Ed Peekeekoot played at the Chocolate Cafe, Winnipeg, in the Songwriter's Showcase of the Manito ahbee Festival. He also opened the Festival Lineup at the McPhillips St. Station Casino.
Some of Peekeekoot’s live performances in BC in 2008 included the Islands Folk Festival, the Abbotsford Agrifair, the North American Indigenous Games in Duncan and the Armstrong Interior Provincial Exhibition and Rodeo.
He was guest artist and performer at the opening reception of IceBear’s Gallery showing “Man, Myth and Magic” at the CACGV Gallery in Victoria whose newest painting, titled “Peekeekoot”, is inspired by both the man and the Ahtahkakoop culture. icebear@shaw.ca Some of Ed’s cottonwood bark carvings were on display.
Buy direct from Ed at
http://www.peekeekoot.ca; or http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/peekeekoot2
"in the key of cree" on iTunes
"Front Porch" on iTunes-Canada
Short Biography: Known as an accomplished instrumentalist and popular entertainer, Ed offers hope and strength with original music from his First Nations perspective.
Biography: Growing up in a musical and supportive family helped Ed become a highly skilled finger-style guitarist with a great ability to entertain audiences. A singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Ed also plays fiddle, banjo, and traditional Native flute and drums. Ed has been nominated twice for BC Country Music Association’s instrumentalist of the year. Ed plays for dances, concerts, festivals, conferences and retreat gatherings throughout North America (see attached partial listing). Many people who have seen him as a musician don’t know Ed is an artist with carvings, paintings, and illustrations in collections around the world. He is also a workshop speaker and facilitator who talks about the “Circle of Courage” and the importance in his life of art and music. Ed also shares his art, music, and Cree culture in schools and with children’s groups. Website: http://www.peekeekoot.ca
Reviews:
• "one of the most popular acts this year" Robert McCourty, Artistic Director, Islands Folk Festival. 2008
• “The music of Ed Peekeekoot goes from foot-stomping fiddle to virtuoso classical guitar, sprinkled throughout with his Cree humour and philosophy”.
• His songs “touch our souls with their blend of traditional folk and aboriginal chants”. His voice is “rich, deep and flows over you like a soft blanket”.
• “You definitely captured and expressed the sounds of nature such as the wild animals and the howling wind through your musical interpretations. I find it difficult to illustrate the relationship of music to nature. I have studied music in Europe and Japan, but never have I experienced such music as your performance.” Ilsa Greenwold, Instructor, Julliard School of Music
• "the eighth wonder of the music world" is what Ed Peekeekoot is called in the Oct/Nov 2008 issue of Canadian Cowboy Magazine by Hugh McLennan, of the syndicated Spirit of the West radio show. He was reviewing Alan Moberg's REMEMBER ME, the first track being a duet with Alan and Ed, on their co-written song, "Red Man Plays the Blues". http://www.canadiancowboy.ca/musicreviews/
ED PEEKEEKOOT SCHEDULE FOR 2009-2010
(many return engagements)
Jan 9 Dance ProPatria Legion, Victoria
30 Dance ProPatria Legion, Victoria
Feb 6 Dance Army, Navy & Air Force, Sidney
7 Maple Syrup Festival, BC Forest Discovery Centre, Duncan
15 Duncan Garage Showroom, with Alan Moberg & Steve Slade
21 "Non-A"(non-alcoholic) Cabaret: Concert & Dance
with Alan Moberg, Mahon Hall, Salt Spring Island.
22 Women's Conference, Concert, Nanaimo
27 Dance ProPatria Legion, Victoria
28 Dance, Chemainus Seniors
Mar 7 Private Party
12-15 Shows at the Kamloops Cowboy Festival
17 Entertainment, Sports Grill, Chemainus
20 Dance, Army, Navy & Air Force Sidney
21 Flute Lessons
27 Radio Interview with CBC’s Sheryl MacKay for North by Northwest
27 Pacific Contact BC Touring Council Showcase
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. Burnaby 2:50 - 3:05
Apr 3 Dance, ProPatria Legion, Victoria
11 Dance Chemainus Seniors
17 Hammond Bay Elementary School, Nanaimo
18 Entertainment. Country Grocer, Cobble Hill
19 Flute Workshop, Beghinners, Lake Cowichan
19 Aboriginal Film Festival, Duncan
21 Duncan Manor, afternoon
25 Chemainus Arts Council, afternoon
25 Juan De Fuca Seniors
26 Flute Workshop, Advanced, Lake Cowichan
May 1 & 2 Entertainment, Eagles, Duncan
May 8 Twin Oaks, Sidney, private party
May.9 Entertainment 10am-1:30pm Market in the Square, Duncan
May. 9 Private Party 8 pm-12 Nanaimo, BC
May.11 Entertainment 11am-1pm Vancouver Island University Me'tis Awareness Day
May.14 Concert Minstrel Café , Kelowna http://www.minstrelcafe.com/index.php
May.21 Entertainment With Alan Moberg Dusty Rose Pub, 70 Mile House
May.22 Cowboy Dinner Theatre with Alan Moberg 6:30-10:30pm Clinton Secondary School, Clinton, BC Contact Patti Allison for tickets (250-457-6684)
May.30 Entertainment 12-2:00 Ladysmith Maritime Festival
May.30 Entertainment 5pm-7pm Ladysmith Maritime Festival
May.30 Dance Eagles, Ladysmith -- Installation of Officers
June 2-4 Six day concerts for Gold Trail School District #74
June.3 Evening Concert-Cooks Ferry Indian Band
June.10 Entertainment 6:30-9pm Corporate Event- Totem Gallery, Royal BC Museum
June. 12 Entertainment 8-11pm ProPatria Legion, Victoria
June. 13 Entertainment Old Farm Market, Duncan
June. 13 Dance 8-11pm Chemainus Seniors
June.15 Performance 10:15-11:15 Frank J. Ney School, Nanaimo
June.16 Concert morning Tillicum Elementary School, Victoria
June. 16 Concert afternoon George Jay Elementary School, Victoria
June. 20 Concert Live on APTN TV from Whitehorse, Yukon
June 26-28 Shows- William's Lake Stampede with Alan Moberg
Jul. 1 Canada Day Concerts Tofino & Ucluelet
Jul. 3&4 Entertainment Eagles, Duncan
Jul. 7 Entertainment ProPatria Legion, Victoria
Jul. 10-12 Atlin Arts & Music Fest. Atlin, BC http://www.atlinfestival.ca/
plus cottonwood bark carving workshops
Jul. 13 Music in the Park Whitehorse, Yukon
Jul. 15 Summer Festival Show, Charles Hooey Park, Duncan BC
Jul. 17-19 Cottonwood Festival Fort St. James http://www.cottonwoodmusicfestival.com/
Plus cottonwood bark carving workshops
Jul. 22 Summer Festival Show,Charles Hooey Park, Duncan, BC
Jul.25 Entertainment 10am-1:30pm Market in the Square, Duncan
Jul.26 Entertainment 12pm-4pm Old Farm Market, Duncan
Aug. 1 Entertainment Old Farm Market, Duncan
Aug. 2 Private Party, Duncan
Aug. 8 Dance 8-11pm Chemainus Seniors
Aug. 14 Entertainment 7-11pm Sidney Army & Navy
Aug. 16 Entertainment 12pm-4pm Old Farm Market, Duncan
Aug. 21 Dance Duncan Senior Centre
Aug. 22 Entertainment Russell Farm Market
Aug. 25 Entertainment ProPatria Legion, Victoria
Aug. 29 Entertainment Cobble Hill Fall Fair
Aug. 29 Private Party, Victoria
Sept.12 Entertainment 10am-1:30pm Market in the Square, Duncan
Sept.12 Art Show Opening Evening Chemainus Theatre
Sept.18 Concert Fundraiser Kamloops Association for Community Living
Calvary Church
Sept. 19 Dinner, Concert, Family Dance Pritchard, BC http://www.pritchardcommunityassociation.ca/
Sept. 20 Private Party Kamloops
Sept. date tbd Concert. Fundraiser for Elks. Osoyoos
Sept. 23 National Aboriginal Housing Conference,
Sandman Signature Hotel & Resort, Richmond, BC
Sept. 25 Court Yard Cafe, Qualicum
Sept. 26 Dance Chemainus Seniors
Sept. 30 Osoyoos Elementary School, BC
Sept. 30 Tuk El Nuit elementary school, Oliver, BC
Oct. 10 Elks' Thanksgiving Concert, Osoyoos, BC
Oct. 17 Entertainment 10am-1:30pm Market in the Square, Duncan
Oct. 23 Concert Lillooet Festival Society
Oct. 24 Private Party 7pm-11pm Lake Cowichan , BC
Oct. 25 Aboriginal Festival, Vancouver Island University
Nanaimo, BC
Oct. 31 Entertainment Olympic Torch Celebration, Crofton
Nov. 11 Entertainment Lake Cowichan Legion
Nov. 12 Concert Port Theatre "Random Acts", Nanaimo
Nov. 17 Aboriginal Event, Victoria, BC
Nov. 28 Dance Chemainus Seniors
Dec.22 Entertainment 1:00-5:00pm Thrifty Foods, Duncan
Dec.23 Entertainment 11:00-5:30pm Thrifty Foods, Duncan
Dec.24 Entertainment 11:00-4:30pm Thrifty Foods, Duncan
Dec.30 Entertainment 1:00-5:00pm Thrifty Foods, Duncan
Dec.31 Entertainment 1:00-5:00pm Thrifty Foods, Duncan
2010
January 22, Concert
Festival Place, Edmonton, Alberta (Sherwood Park)
March 26 - Concert
Port Alberni Arts Council, Vancouver Island, BC
(pending)
May 28-30 Festival Canadian Rockies Cowboy Festival, Nordegg, Alberta
Aug. 1-2 Capital Festival BC Day Celebrations (pending)
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Discography:
• "Dance Tonight" 2008
Genre: Instrumental/Country/Rock/Folk
Link: http://www.peekeekoot.ca
• "in the key of cree" nominated for Best Country CD in the 2008 Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards Winnipeg
Genre: World/Aboriginal/Country/Folk.
Link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/peekeekoot2 and
http://www.peekeekoot.ca
• Front Porch (2005) Genre: Instrumental/ Folk/Acoustic. Link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/peekeekoot1
and http://www.peekeekoot.ca
• Two Worlds (1988) BCCMA’s EP of the Year 1988
• Also appeared on Mộcikan – Songs for Learning Cree (2007) by Art Napoleon
Film and Radio:
• in the key of cree has charted in the Top Ten Folk/Roots/Blues at CHLY Nanaimo, CFUV Victoria, CKXU Lethbridge, CJSR Edmonton, CJSW Calgary, and played on CBC in British Columbia and Saskatchewan; CFRO, Vancouver; CFBX, Kamloops
• Full Moon Song and Kokum’s Lullaby used in Harold Joe’s film Broken Down
• Ed’s guitar instrumental Land of the Raven was the theme music for the film series, North American Indian Portraits. He was featured in that series in a film called Gentleman Cowboy of Honkytonk.
• The APTN (TV) series Beyond Words profiled Ed as artist & musician in 2006.
• Airplay on CBC and on campus & community radio in Canada and the U.S.
• The National Campus and Community Radio Association chose Wild Lilies to Wheat Fields from in the key of cree for a track on their “Dig Your Roots – Aboriginal” compilation CD, in 2006. Five national concerts followed, each broadcast live nationally on campus and community radio stations.
•Kamloops Cowboy Festival, 2008, with Alan Moberg, on YouTube.com.
Islands Folk Festival, 2008, on YouTube.com
•Performances at Festivals, Concerts, Conferences throughout North America
Performances of 2007/ 2008 include:
• North American Indigenous Games, BC
• John Arcand Fiddle Festival, SK
• Saskatoon Fringe Festival, SK
• Salt Spring Island Folk Club, BC
• Native History Month at the Native American Art Gallery, Dallas TX (with support from Canadian Foreign Affairs)
• 100 Mile House Cowboy Concert, BC
• Kamloops Cowboy Festival, BC
• Concerts Under the Stars, Salt Spring Island, BC
• Elders Conference Gathering, Quadra Island, BC
• Islands Folk Festival, Duncan. BC
• Surrey Children’s Festival, BC
• Victoria Art Gallery, BC
• Walking in Balance Conference, Fort St. John, BC
• Envision Twilight Concert Series, Mission, BC
• Mayne Island Folk Club, BC
• Dakota Dunes Casino, Saskatoon SK
• Abbotsford Agrifair, BC
• Armstrong Interior Provincial Exhibition, Stampede
• MTS Centre, Winnipeg,MN performing at the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards ceremonies
• Corporate Events
• 2009 Kamloops Cowboy Festival
• 2009 Atlin Festival
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PRESS RELEASE#2 of 2009
ED PEEKEEKOOT FEATURES ON APTN-TV
"ABORIGINAL DAY LIVE 2009" ON JUNE 20, 2009, 2100ET
contact: Annie Palovcik
TK Media
anniep@saltspring.com
250 537 9571
National Aboriginal Day, (June 21) now marking its 13th year, was designated by the federal government in 1996 as a special day for all Canadians to celebrate the unique heritage, cultures and contributions of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is hosting Canada's largest national Aboriginal Day celebration, its third annual Aboriginal Day Live on Saturday, June 20, 2009 from dual venues in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Whitehorse, Yukon. The 3 1/2 hour commercial free show includes performances by such notables as Buffy St. Marie.
Ed Peekeekoot, originally from the Ahtahkakoop Cree First Nation of Saskatchewan, lives in Crofton, BC. This brilliant guitarist and songwriter will perform a half hour set of songs from his CD in the key of cree. His hauntingly beautiful Kokum's Lullaby will be sung by his wife, Gail. They will be performing from Shipyards Park in Whitehorse.
Other upcoming performances in BC for Ed include Canada Day celebrations in Ucluelet and Tofino; the Atlin Arts and Music Festival (July10-12) and Fort St. James' Cottonwood Festival (July 17-19). Ed will also be offering carving workshops at both Festivals.
www.peekeekoot.ca
www.cdbaby.com/cd/peekeekoot
in the key of cree available on iTunes.
Watch Ed on YouTube
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PRESS RELEASE #1 of 2009
EVENT: NON-A CABARET (non-alcoholic) CONCERT & DANCE
With ALAN MOBERG & ED PEEKEEKOOT
Mahon Hall, Salt Spring Island, BC
February 21, Doors at 7:30
Tix Acoustic Planet and Alan Moberg
Contact: Annie Palovcik anniep@saltspring.com 250 537 9571 and to book a Non-A Cabaret in your community
Dust off your dancing shoes. And listen up! A concert and dance is happening at Mahon Hall with those two superb performers, Alan Moberg and Ed Peekeekoot teaming up again. Only a year ago, Alan and Ed were headliners at the Salt Spring Island Folk Club. And what a year it has been .
Alan Moberg was inducted into the BC Country Music Hall of Fame; he performed live on BC Global TV.. Ed Peekeekoot performed at the ceremonies for the Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards at the 6,000 seat MTS Centre in Winnipeg, filmed live for TV, with a CD nominated for Best Country CD. Meanwhile, they have played at many events throughout the province, often as solo performers, sometimes together. Recently they returned from the Cariboo, where they played to sold out houses in Williams Lake, 108 Mile House and 70 Mile House. It seems people only have to hear them once and they become fans for life.
A recent Aqua article described the “tsunami of appreciation” that always takes place when Moberg performs here on his Salt Spring Island home. Alan will be honoured at this year’s Williams Lake Stampede for the 40th anniversary of his Williams Lake Stampede Song. His latest CD, REMEMBER ME was #2 on the Folk/Roots/Blues chart at CHLY Nanaimo in December. Ed has been called “the 8th wonder of the music world” by the host of a syndicated radio show. He will perform in a concert as part of a Special filmed live by APTN TV in Whitehorse on National Aboriginal Day June.20 and broadcast simultaneously on TV, radio and internet.
And now something brand new! A “Non-A (non-alcoholic) Cabaret: Concert & Dance”. These two singers have chosen uplifting songs for these times, many from Alan’s CD FARTHER ALONG and tunes from Ed’s new CD DANCE TONIGHT! The event encourages the joy of music without alcohol. The power of music and dance help us to return to the simpler pleasures, shared with others.
With guitar, fiddle, banjo, and Native flute, Ed has been playing as a solo performer for dances up and down Vancouver Island. He provides additional accompaniment and rhythm electronically. There’s lots of hope and lots of rhythm in many of Alan’s original songs, but he also loves the old soft rock of the 60’s and 70’s, songs by Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. Ed plays Jimmy Rodgers and Chuck Berry, Louisiana country boogie and hot old fiddle tunes from the Prairie dances of his youth.. Together they get toes tapping. Soon we’re all celebrating. Ed says “At the end of the night, I’m a happy guy if you’ve got a big smile on your face and your feet hurt from dancing.”
Come early as seating is limited to provide dance space. Tickets at Acoustic Planet and from Alan himself, are $15, under 12-$5. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.for an 8:00 p.m. show.
Goodies and Non-A drinks by John of Ashlie’s Pantry. Bring an item for a food bank box if you can. Buy CDs at www.alanmoberg.com and www.peekeekoot.ca.
Music Manager and Bookings: Annie Palovcik
TK Media Salt Spring Island
250-537-9571
anniep@saltspring.com
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
ED PEEKEEKOOT, Ahtahkakoop Cree First Nation
British Columbia Singer-songwriter/ Instrumentalist / Artist
I relate in many ways to the man I describe in one of my songs (Wild Lilies to Wheat Fields – © 2006) as being “a farmer, provider, a warrior and survivor, a daydream catcher, a seeker of visions and truth. He’s a hunter, sundancer, and he’s a rain cloud watcher. . .” I’m a musician and an artist but the farmer in my song and I are both blending our cultural ways with the mainstream world, holding our truth, and working to provide for our families when it seems like a long time between those vital “rain clouds” that nurture growth in the things we’ve been steadily and quietly looking after.
Music, art, and a supportive and loving family have helped me travel on a good path throughout my life. I can’t call myself self-taught but my education in art and music has been both intentional and informal, learning on my own as well as going to workshops and classes and spending time with friends who are artists and musicians. I give deep thanks for the creative and generous people in my life who have shared their gifts with me.
I would have had to work hard not to become a musician in my family, where my mother was my first guitar teacher when I was about four. Art was the one thing I excelled at and got positive recognition for in school. Life was not always easy but art and music fed my soul and do so to this day.
I was sixteen when my grandfather decided to move us away from life on the reserve and we came out to BC. He wanted us to have opportunities he didn’t see in Saskatchewan. I have lived in BC most of my life, both in the Interior and now on the Coast.
For many years, I worked as a solo musician in the mainstream country music scene – mostly in BC but also across the Prairies. Even though my Cree heritage and growing up in a musical family shaped me, I avoided being labeled as a “Native musician”. I wanted to be known as a great musician who just happened to be “Native” as I paid my mainstream dues. This all changed a few years ago after a visit to my home community, Ahtahkakoop, in Saskatchewan.
On this trip, I saw signs that the people in my community were starting to practice their cultural ways once again. There were sweat lodges and the sun dance grounds had been reclaimed. This and other important experiences opened me to a deepening interest in exploring my First Nations heritage through music and, in 2006, I released “In the Key of Cree”, a CD of original pieces from my cultural perspective.
For decades before this, I had been using prairie First Nations themes in my paintings and carvings, which are now in collections around the world. With the release of that CD, I am now working with both my music and art as contemporary expressions of my life in BC blended with my Cree heritage.
With guitar, Native flute, fiddle, drum and voice I create what I call “sound paintings”. These are the sounds and melodies heard in our dreams that take us on spirit journeys. In songs and instrumentals, I move from evoking nature, myth, and traditional ways of knowing to offering encouragement to First Nation people facing the sometimes stark realities of urban life. Raven and Coyote, tricksters and transformers, make their way into my music, stories, performances, and art.
Just as my music evokes nature and myth, these are also the themes of my paintings and carvings. While I am careful to honor BC First Nations artists by not working in their traditional style, I have been deeply influenced and inspired by them and by living close to the ocean and forest on this beautiful Island. My mystical cottonwood bark carvings of animals, birds, plants, family groupings, and spirits are like totem poles. Each image relates to the others and has spiritual significance. My carvings and wildlife paintings speak of the interconnectedness of All Life.
I love the way my music and art uplift people and give them happiness and hope. There is a spirit of renewal that new generations of children and youth are bringing to the Earth; and music and art walk hand in hand with that spirit.
I would like people to hear and see a lifetime’s work by a contemporary British Columbia artist and musician whose Cree roots have been nurtured and have taken hold in this soil.
*from Wild Lilies to Wheat Fields
©2006EdPeekeekoot
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Ed Peekeekoot performed compositions for Native flute and guitar from his latest CD "in the key of cree" at the opening reception of a Victoria art event, MAN, MYTH & MAGIC.. Ed’s magical music is a natural accompaniment for IceBear’s visionary paintings and sculpture. Ed also displayed some of his cottonwood bark carvings, such as his "Anasazi Moon".
Ed and IceBear have teamed up before for several art events on Vancouver Island, and most recently exhibited together in Dallas, Texas. At this event, a Dallas committee chose one piece of art by each artist to represent North American Indian cultures and these were sent as a gift to the Dalai Lama.
IceBear’s newest painting is titled ‘Peekeekoot’ A short story about the painting and its subject follows.
'Peekeekoot'
2008 original acrylic on canvas 47 x 49
“Long ago, when the world was young, far away beyond the waters of Gitchee Goomi, across the great plains of this country, roamed many tribes, the largest of which I think was our brothers the Cree. Out there is a great land where the prairie rose blooms and the sweet grass dances with
the wind in summer. That is the big sky country. Vast sky plains of blue parch the Earth in summer, and the
Lights that white men call Aurora frolic across the north in winter. This is the land that gave birth to people who were daring, courageous, and creative. Their dress, their teepees, and their music, all reflected the wonders of that place. Their songs still drift across the endless land, giving joy to the Spirits who live there.” The spirit of these ancient peoples lives on today with the Plains Cree of Saskatchewan. The artist has chosen as inspiration for this painting his friend Ed Peekeekoot, from the Ahtahkakoop community, to tell of their music and storytelling history. The work is not intended as a formal portrait, but the artist hopes to capture the spirit of this well loved
musician and carver. Like the great land that gave him life, Ed's musical ability seems limitless, creating magical
sound pictures with his flute, guitar, fiddle, and various other instruments he masters.
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“Anasazi Moon”
Cottonwood Bark Carving
on
Alabaster Stand
(39” high)
by
Ed Peekeekoot
Ahtahkakoop Cree First Nation
2007
The Anasazi were ancient people who lived in the American southwest in cliff dwellings built in caves high above the surrounding plateau. Even though today’s Pueblo peoples claim them as ancestors the disappearance about 800 years ago of the Anasazi carries an air of deep mystery. They seem to have vanished, leaving behind their homes, belongings, and stores of food.
At the top of the Carving is the Full Moon. Normally a symbol of abundance and fertility, it is somewhat haunting as it rises above the disserted cliff dwellings.
The Wolf is a symbol of ancient teachings. This solitary path finder howling beneath the moon is telling the old stories of the ones who once lived here.
The pictograph of the figure holding the snake comes from a rock painting found at San Rafael Swell in Utah near where some of the Anasazi lived. We can only guess what message it carries from that time to this. In many cultures, the snake represents transformation. Held in the left hand it may mean transformation through intuition. On the chest of the figure is a spiral. Many cultures use the spiral to represent the journey between inner and outer consciousness. The Anasazi depended on corn and it may be corn stalks rather than feathers that adorn the head of the figure.
The Eagle is the power animal of the Elder held in its wing. Together, they represent higher vision and watch over the cliff dwellings standing empty below.
The Kiva, is the sacred circular pit built into the ground in front of the cliff dwellings. Stories are told of the ancient people being “birthed” into this world through the Kiva from the underworld.
Below the cliff dwellings, we can see Earth embodied in a sleeping face.
Read more...