Through an initiative with the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center, eleven artists from the Mohawk community created works reproduced on banners that the JCCBI team installed along the federal section of the Honoré Mercier Bridge.

This art showcases Mohawk culture and highlights the work of First Nations, particularly on the Honoré Mercier Bridge. The next time you are passing over the bridge, take the chance to admire the banners (while driving carefully!).

As Long as the Rivers flow

Pamela Lynne Chrisjohn

I pay homage to my Elder Brothers, the Kanien’keháka; Keepers of the Eastern Door, depicted by the sun. My father Kenny was an ironworker who had several Kanien’keháka comrades, working alongside them building Montreal and repairing bridges. While painting the old Samuel du Champlain Bridge I was reminded of the history of the city, province, and country. Representing our confederacy’s nation builders is a privilege and an honor to my Lake’ni’ha’k^ who strode across those beams in work boots.

Beginning the Harvest

Owisokon Lahache

Beginning the Harvest celebrates all that has been gifted to us by Creation.  We are grateful that we have learned to survive by planting our gardens each spring. We watch the earth for the little sprouts to poke their leaves through Mother Earth reaching out to be greeted by the sun and nourished by the rain. From a tiny seed, we will create enough food to survive winter through summer until the next harvest. When we have an over abundant harvest, we gift it during our Harvest Ceremonies to those in need so that we can all flourish together.

Behind the Church

Wakenhiióhstha Montour

This is where I smoke joints and overthink about my actions. It’s close to my house, behind the church, next to all that cool graffiti. I get to be alone and nobody usually finds me.

Grasp

Jasmin Gunn

From the perspective of the fish, this digital vector image captures the moment a plump salmon is caught by a hungry bear. The colours of the bear breaking through the surface of the water make the bear appear ethereal and otherworldly to express the eternal nature of the cycle of life and death.

Kontítie’s – They Fly/They’re Flying

Ronwahawihtha Delaronde

A heron on a pink and yellow background surrounded by an array of wild birds that are found throughout Kahnawà:ke and elsewhere. Birds hold significance for many different reasons, their bravery and capability to strut about while simultaneously each having their own authentic song that we listen to on a daily basis yet often pay no mind to. Understanding the vital role they play in our ecosystem while also offering valuable lessons to teach us is what I attempted to capture.

Ms. Tekaronhienháwi Norton

Moon Grounding is a representation of the personal healing I was doing during the process of the piece. Making the connection between our natural medicines to the cycle of Ionkhihsótha Ahsonthenhnéhkha Karáhkwa, and grounding my roots as an Onkwehón:we woman with her.

Rattles

Lily Ieroniawákon Deer

Rattles displays the connection between adults and babies in the sharing of Haudenosaunee cultural practices. More specifically, Rattles shows how social songs are shared between adults and their babies, strengthening family ties.

She moves with the Moon

Megan Kanerahtenhàwi Whyte

“She moves with the Moon” (2023) draws together the constellation of identity as an Indigenous woman. In this image, she stands in flux between two worlds. Her orange shirt reminds her of her ancestors’ survival as well as her own from systemic injustice, fuelling her inner fire. She then breathes in spirit, calmed by the stars and the love of Grandmother Moon, who teaches her that cycles are important to growth and regrowth. She is reminded that with multigenerational trauma, comes also multigenerational wisdom. This is her journey—and maybe all of ours too.

Tota’s Beads

Julia Brown

As a child, I watched my grandmother create beautiful beadwork and always kept the memories with me as inspiration for my creative process.

Turtle Island

Jayme Leigh Glen

This is the beginning. The first piece of land growing on the turtle’s back. As told in our Creation story, the continent had started from a small pile of dirt and continued to grow and flourish until it became what is now Turtle Island (North America).

Unity Turtle

Kaysun Oke

Within Haudenosaunee culture we believe all matters are related. When creating the turtle with pointillism technique, unity and connection was the main idea since it is such a strong symbol within our culture. I demonstrated it within its 13 scales, which also represent the moon cycle. Every perfectly placed dot represents a person. The trees and roots signify strength and connection. All together it forms the turtle, our Mother Earth.