EXCERPT
The Indigenous Artists Creating Work in Solidarity With Palestine
Molly Lipson - May 27, 2024
Nipinet Landsem is an Anishinaabe and Michif tattoo artist who is a citizen of the Manitoba Matey Federation and based in Madison, Wisconsin. They created an image in December 2023 as an offering to the Free Palestine movement, which they told Hyperallergic they’ve been involved with since long before October 7. The digital artwork shows two hands intertwined, one clasping a Palestinian keffiyeh and the other an Indigenous flowered kokum scarf. Green and red flowers border the image, including a prairie rose, a common symbol in Ojibwe, Cree, and Michif culture. Around them flow olive branches, a reference to Palestinian groves destroyed by the Israeli military, and the phrase La rivyer oschi la mer ishi, Palestine ka-tipeymishowak — the artwork’s title, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” in Michif.
The floral kokum scarf comes from Anishinaabe and Ojibwe cultures to which Landsem is closely connected. The scarf itself was originally brought over to Canada by Ukrainian immigrants in 1891. Though they were predominantly met with discrimination from White Canadians, they were warmly welcomed by the First Nations and Métis communities in the Prairies. The two communities formed a bond and traded items including the kokum scarf, which has now come to represent Native peoples and tradition. The way both hands and scarves are intertwined in Landsem’s work is a reminder of just how connected Indigenous struggles are around the world, from Ukraine to Canada to Palestine.
Source:
https://hyperallergic.com/917454/indigenous-artists-victor-pascual-nipinet-landsem-danielle-seewalker-creating-work-in-solidarity-with-palestine/