How Indigenous artists explore crossroads of past and future
by Sara Miller Llana
Apr 19, 2022
4 minutes
There is nothing fast nor futuristic about moose hide tanning.
For Dene artist Melaw Nakehk’o, who first learned the practice from her late grandmother, it’s a multiday affair of scraping, drying, stretching, and smoking.
But when Ms. Nakehk’o featured that process in an exhibit in the fall in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, her intent was not to look back – but far into the future.
One of her hides became part of the “Moose Skin Dome,” in which 40 hide frames hung suspended from the ceiling, with images and sound from a tanning camp projected across its domed surface. The installation ran alongside an
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days