“To be able to be welcomed in a different community and show our art is amazing,” said Blaine Burgoyne, Indigenous View photographer.
For Burgoyne, photography is therapy. He explains how he’s able to roam his reserve freely and reveal his insider point of view to the outside world.
“I can capture all these beautiful plants, species, animals, waterways and lands that we have out there,” all while connecting to his culture. “I picture what it was like for the ancestors and all that walking through there and really appreciating everything out there. I want to do the same and I want to show the people what we look at on reserve and the things that we cherish and honour.”
One photo on Burgoyne’s art sale table holds a special place for him. It’s his first pair of moccasins from when he was a baby with an eagle feather found by his brother near their home.
“To me, that photo represents me as an Indigenous person, you know, that’s my culture, those are my first moccasins, the feather represents our culture in all different ways,” said Burgoyne.
He’s showing his work among 14 other artists at an Indigenous craft market in Coleman, Alta., at the Crowsnest Museum & Archives.
“Our traditional territory reaches this far but I’ve just never seen an outlet for the Indigenous out this way,” said Burgoyne.
The market is for Indigenous History Month in the Crowsnest Pass community. The area has a long Indigenous history that hasn’t been well represented in the surrounding museums, according to Chris Fairman, Crowsnest Museum operations lead.
“There was a deficit that we definitely needed to address if we wanted to represent the full history of Pass and all the peoples of the Pass. So that’s why we figured the market would be a good stepping stone,” said Fairman.
Denise Louis with Legends Logos out of Creston, B.C., said being invited to these markets is an example of reconciliation in action.
“People are recognizing that it takes more than reading about history and understanding, it also is about going forward hand in hand trying to make a good future,” said Louis.
The market runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday at the Crowsnest Museum & Archives in Coleman.