Beading to Medallion is a meticulous work and can take days for even skilled storytellers to complete, so when non -indigenous people are equipped with these cultural ornaments, some people from the first nations question if they really understand their value.
The last accessory of the Prime Minister of Ontario, Doug Ford, a medallion with accounts given by the Association of Native Women of Ontario at a meeting last week between the prime ministers and national indigenous organizations, has caused online debate.
The gift occurred only weeks after Ford made inflammatory comments that he has treated people from the first “such as gold” and that “they cannot continue to see the hat in their hand all the time to the government” and that they need to be able to take care of themselves. He apologized for his comments the next day.
An ONWA statement said the gift, given Ford for his CEO Cora McGuire-Cyrette, was a reminder of the leadership of indigenous women and the importance of their voices at the decision-making tables.
The Ford Medallion has not been the only one that receives attention this month. After a concert in Toronto, the Italian-American rapper Russ was criticized for rejecting a medallion while acting.
“What do you want me to do? The entire show is,” you can hear on the stage in a shared video on social networks.
“I am trying to act and you are spending the whole show just trying to make this silly st you are enduring.”
Then, he went to Tiktok and said that a fan was using the appearance of a medical emergency to draw attention to the medallion, after his show had already stopped once due to a real medical emergency, and that he rejected it for those reasons.
This incident ignited the online discussion about the cultural importance of medallions and if their value is appreciated or understood by non -indigenous celebrities and politicians.
Kerry Benjoe, Efn Media editor and a Saulteux journalist from Muscowpetung First Nation in Saskatchewan, medallions’ concerns are not respected as the recipients must be for the recipients.
“When someone takes the time to make that piece for you, they are giving you a piece of themselves and I don’t think people from outside the indigenous community fully understand,” said Benjoe.
“They do not understand the historical meaning of much of this work of art. You enter a lot of skill, a lot of thought.”
For Benjoe, medallions also have ancestral weight, because artistic knowledge is transmitted between generations.
She ultimately said that it depends on the storytellers to decide to give her accounts or not, but she wants to see that the pieces are honored as they should be.
Gifts to build relationships
Mariah Battiste, a Mi’kmaw beader and owner of Sunday Creations in Eskasoni First Nation in Nueva Scotia, has given many medallions, even his brother Jaime Battiste, the first deputy of Mi’kmaw chosen for the House of Commons.
She said she uses them as a symbol of her identity and a reminder of her commitment to her people.
Beading to Gift is part of his cultural identity, he said, rooted in teachings of reciprocity and sacrifice.
She said that Mi’kmaq does not give gifts not as a transactional duty, but to show generosity and build relationships, a tradition from before the signing of the treaties.
“He [gift] Giver offers a bit of our spirit, a little of our friendship, extending trust, “Battiste said.
She recognizes the confusion that some may have around medallions gifts to controversial politicians, especially those outside the community, but for her it is about building bridges.
In this way, he said that he understands how, despite his recent comments, onwa gave Ford a medallion as a symbolic gesture to repair relationships.
“Are we giving gifts to people who don’t like them … or are we trying to build relationships with people who do not understand us and making that bridge using a kind of ceremony?” She asked.
Battiste gave him a medallion for Prime Minister Mark Carney in June, that his brother gave him the day of Canada. She said she does not expect her to use it in the same way her brother does, but it is a symbol to build understanding with the new prime minister.
Jocelyn Marshall, a Mi’kmaw Beader from Membertou First Nation in Nueva Scotia, said he has a casual approach to give away his accounts.
A few years ago, her son encouraged her to aball a medallion for rape Ice Cube, who then launched at the stage at the end of a concert.
“For me, it’s something fun to do, and I mean, if he understood, he got it,” said Marshall.
“If he didn’t, oh well … I had nothing to lose.”
To his surprise, he received photos of the rapper with his accounts in the backstage later that night.
Marshall said he felt happy to see him use it and then see him on his Instagram, but for her it was not recognition. She said just knowing that someone was enjoying her art was enough.
“Beadwork does not have to align with anyone else’s values, but yours when you are a beader,” said Marshall.
“I like to say: ‘I give myself what I want, when I want'”.
