Old Stories, New Ways: Conversations About an Architecture Inspired by Indigenous Ways of Knowing

By Vivian Manasc

Vivian Manasc, one of the founders of Manasc Isaac Architects, has pioneered sustainable architecture in Canada. Her work in partnership with Indigenous communities has been her greatest inspiration, and it has transformed the very nature of her practice. Through the profound lessons of the seven Grandfather Teachings, Vivian came to understand that the process of planning and designing a building should be a circle, with the beginning and end of the story linked together.

The stories Vivian tells in Old Stories, New Ways are also framed by these teachings of Courage, Love, Wisdom, Respect, Truth, Humility and Honesty, with each teaching illuminating an aspect of how working with Dene, Cree, Saulteaux, Métis, Inuit and Inuvialuit communities has influenced her design practice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brush Education
• Release date: Dec 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781550598650

Vivian Manasc

Vivian Manasc is the principal architect of Manasc Isaac, a sixty-person architectural and engineering studio with offices in Edmonton, Calgary and Bucharest, Romania. She is past president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, past vice-president of the Canada Green Building Council and served, until recently, as a member on the National Capital Commission Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty. For over thirty years, she has been an innovative design thought leader who has advocated for and designed sustainable buildings and low-carbon, net-zero architecture in the context of global climate change. She attributes much of her passion to her learning from Indigenous Elders. She resides in Edmonton, Alberta.

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Old Stories

New Ways

Copyright © 2020 Vivian Manasc

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Cover and interior design: Carey van der Zalm; Cover image: Elizabeth Daniels and Tiffany Shaw-Collinge

Proofreading: Shauna Babiuk

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Old stories, new ways : conversations about an architecture inspired by Indigenous ways of knowing /Vivian Manasc ; edited by Frits Pannekoek.

Names: Manasc, Vivian, 1956- author. | Pannekoek, Frits, 1947- editor.

Description: Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200256033 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200256866 | ISBN 9781550598629 (softcover) | ISBN 9781550598636 (PDF) | ISBN 9781550598643 (Kindle) | ISBN 9781550598650 (EPUB)

Subjects: LCSH: Architecture—Canada. | LCSH: Vernacular architecture—Canada. | LCSH: Indigenous art—Canada.

Classification: LCC NA749.5.A54 M36 2020 | DDC 720.89/97071—dc23

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of Phyllis Cardinal, who invited me to understand the stories and to think about the seventh generation; to the memory of my mother, Bianca Manasc, who taught me to connect; to the memory of my grandmother, Fani Manasc, who taught me the power of storytelling; to my dad, Bert Manasc, who always challenges me; to my brother, Justin Manasc, who teaches me to look at the trees, and not just the forest; and to my husband, Bill Dushenski, and our sons, Peter and Lawrence Dushenski, for your love and support.

This book is also for our grandchildren, Nikolas and Ari Dushenski, so they can continue the journey...

—Vivian Manasc

Contents

Foreword by Diana Steinhauer and Vince Steinhauer (posthumous)

Preface

Acknowledgments

Design Credits

Section I • Introduction

Section II • Reflections on Storytelling and Architecture

Section III • The seven grandfather teachings in architectural practice

Final Lessons

Notes

Bibliography

About the Author and Editor

SADDLE LAKE SCHOOL (SADDLE LAKE FIRST NATION, TREATY 6 TERRITORY): EAGLECHILD, BY STEWART STEINHAUER. CREDIT: TIFFANY SHAW-COLLINGE

Foreword

I have known Vivian Manasc, of Manasc Isaac Architects, since 1992, while the firm was leading the design and construction of the local junior and senior high school in Saddle Lake Cree Nation. I learned that Vivian was completely open, as a blank canvas is readied to receive the impressions of the painter. She was consistently prepared to listen, learn, and listen some more. In the relationship that we engendered during this period of concept to construction of a school building for Cree youth, I repeatedly brought Vivian to meet and hear the original teachings of my mentor, the late Peter O’Chiese. From these times of listening and learning, Vivian captured in the internal design of the school building our origins stories that she learned from the mentor.

As I have been roused at Vivian’s capacity to create in architectural form, I retrace this soulful journey of awareness-raising in this foreword to her book Old Stories, New Ways: Conversations about an Architecture Inspired by Indigenous Ways of Knowing. This journey starts with the building committee’s vision, then moves into the heart of the original teachings, which later were captured in images and building materials that became the new junior and senior high school. I was captivated by Vivian’s capacity and openness, and when approached to write this foreword for her new book, which broadly portrays more of her journeys with First Nations peoples of the western part of Canada, I did not hesitate to accept the invitation.

The relationship forged with Vivian began when I became a member of the Saddle Lake Junior Senior High School Building Committee by virtue of entry into my role as the Education Director in June 1992. At this time, the building committee was at a stage where the concept drawings were completed and the elements of the internal design were being discussed. The building committee members were of the mindset that the building be a place laden with meaningful symbols to represent Saddle Lake’s unique Cree pedagogy that is rooted in epistemological and ontological knowledge founded upon the iyinitaw ayisiniwak, the original peoples of these lands. The intention was to create a learning environment for the young people to learn the truth of their being. I draw upon one of the first origin stories shared with Vivian by the mentor, O’Chiese, in the summer of 1992.

On being, ontology suggests that the nature of most Indigenous peoples can be determined as to how well they know their space on this earth life. Then, how well they interact with their environment in consideration of how relations are maintained, nurtured, and created. Iyinitaw ayisiniwak are the original peoples of Turtle Island, which is the place commonly known as North America today. The iyinitaw ayisiniwak of the plains regions refer to these lands as the mahikanak, the wolf clan lands.

The original peoples have what is called life force energy derived from living a full life. As in any social order, there are laws that are developed to ensure a full life. Natural Laws are those handed down to the original peoples by the Creator and are the laws that are followed on a daily basis to perpetuate a good life, miyo pimātisiwin. The Natural Laws of kindness, honesty, strength, and sharing are foundational to raising children, communal living, reciprocity with the land, making treaties, and ceremonies.

The grasses that grow everywhere are there to remind us of the first law of kindness. Bears line their dens with sweetgrass in preparation for their annual fasting time. Upon awakening each spring after a long rest, the sweetgrass ignites to signal the sacredness of the growth of a new year. In the dance circle of life, there are people known to be grass dancers, whose responsibility it is to gently flatten all the grasses within the camps and when preparing ceremonial lodges. It is known that once the ceremonies are complete and the lodge is taken down, the elements of life—the sun, the wind, the rain, and the earth—will revitalize the grass. The grass will grow and stand once again as willed to be in relation to creation. In demonstration of its compassion, kindness, and humility, the grass is a teacher for humanity to be in this constant state of relationship with oneself so as to be with others, and is considered one of the natural pillars.

The second pillar, teacher, is our relation, the tree. The tree teaches us to be honest as it grows determinedly upwards, living side by side with a host of other trees and foliage in their natural habitat. These are gentle reminders of the balance of our human relationships forged upon the simplicity of honesty with one another. The poplar tree was used to fashion the skeleton of the first human beings placed here on Turtle Island. The first two human beings were instructed to follow the laws of creation as they embarked upon the sweetgrass trail. This road demarcates the bloodlines flowing from our first relations to our current relations here on the earth life and how propagation transpired. It is for these reasons that the trees remind us of honesty. Straight like the tree, honesty is a value taught in the second corner pillar of the life force teaching.

Animals that give up their lives so that we can have food, clothing, and shelter and live a good life are a constant reminder of the third pillar, sharing. In an intricate balance, people receive these gifts from the animals, always ready to reciprocate to the spirit of the animal taken. It is this teaching that, evidenced in ceremonies and songs honouring the animal spirits who, in sharing their lives, teach the peoples about life. People offer tobacco, a prayer of thanksgiving to the animal prior to the hunt and also upon taking down the animal. It is the hunter acknowledging the life of the animal upon whom credit is bestowed for the giving of its life. It is a lesson and value best retained amongst the peoples. Sharing is the third law, the pillar opposite and adjacent to the teaching of kindness.

Mountains that stand from the dawn of time to the end of time remind us that we need to be strong in who we are as peoples. Herein, strength is synonymous with determination. Like the rock spirit, the spirit of the peoples must be strong in order to continue in a life filled with struggles and challenges. Equipped with determination, the individual will be resilient to change, capable of enduring and not giving up. The mentor stated that strength comes from prayer. This teaching is important for continuity of identity and has relevance to humanity as a whole. The largest rock clusters are mountains. Mountains are constant reminders to the people of the strength that comes from greater numbers. Strength is combined to benefit the collectivity and to ensure the continuous existence of the four laws of the land.

In the prayer life, the rock spirit speaks on behalf of humankind. When the Creator made the earth life, the Creator asked of creation, Who amongst you will straighten out these peoples’ prayers and speak on their behalf? The rock spirit spoke up and said, I shall do this on behalf of my little siblings. So it came to pass that the rock spirit, the symbol of strength to this day, speaks on our behalf, serving as the fourth law of creation for the people.

Living the Natural Laws of creation makes it possible for the peoples to reconnect to the place of origin and to the life force energy that is all around us. The teaching addresses the Creator’s intent to instill life in the peoples. People have a purpose to fulfill during this lifetime. It is the responsibility of each individual to discover and fulfill that purpose. Place is a true space of power and the relationship to this power does not start and finish with humanity, for humanity is just a part of this life force power. The Natural Law equips the individual with the solid foundation needed to live a life of purpose.

This teaching was followed in step by the mentor who then told of another origin story, Eaglechild. Both these origin stories of the iyinitaw ayisiniwak have been beautifully captured in the interior floor design that meanders from the entrance way of the building throughout the entire school’s hallways and main meeting area. Additionally, Vivian worked with a local artisan to provide a central location for a granite stone sculpture carved by a spiritually gifted sculptor, Stewart Steinhauer.

The architectural team, with Vivian as its lead, met the desires of the building committee, and today the school still provides its students with the two origin stories rooted in their ancestral ties to the land. The school was aptly named Kihew Asiniy Education Centre by one of the Saddle Lake members.

In this foreword to Vivian’s book, I affirm that the work described within the