Turtle Island

About Turtle Island

“Turtle Island” is what my people, the Ojibwe among others, call the continent of North America. This name arises from our creation stories as First Nations peoples in Canada.

On her back, she carries the 7 Grandfather Teachings of love, humility, truth, bravery, wisdom, respect and honesty — depicted by the trees. The blue tiles of her shell represent all the fresh water lakes while the black line represents our good soil for growing. She also carries a tipi, a symbol for the people living amongst all these things.

This painting is a reminder to take good care of what we were given.

18"x12" | 100lb archival matte paper