Breaking Water with Angela DeMontigny
This Breaking Water features Angela DeMontigny. Angela is an internationally-renowned Indigenous Canadian designer, an artist, an entrepreneur, a mentor, a visionary, a mom, and so much more. In this Breaking Water, she discusses All Our Relations, the importance of the project, and the interconnectedness of our planet.
Can you please introduce yourself and tell us where you work/what you do?
Tansi, my name is Angela DeMontigny and I am a fashion designer, artist, entrepreneur, and mentor of Cree/Métis heritage. I have been a pioneer of the Indigenous Luxury movement for over 2 decades and have created original, Indigenous fashion and accessories, lifestyle & wellness products (LODGE Soy Candles) under my own label.
I have always been a passionate advocate for sustainability and slow fashion and follow these principles throughout my design process. I am also known for being a fierce auntie and offer my time as a mentor and supporter of Indigenous women entrepreneurs and young designers not only in my community and throughout Canada but around the world. When I’m asked to speak publicly or facilitate workshops, I strive to not only educate people about Indigenous culture, history and worldviews through art and design but inspire them to think, practice creativity and team build in a way that not only challenges their preconceived ideas but embraces Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Helping others is important to me and something I strive for in everything I do.
I have had the opportunity to show my designs on runways around the world and have had my own retail boutiques/galleries throughout my career - the latest one which I opened on James St. N. in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. Since the beginning of Covid, I have been focusing on my Indigenous wellness products (LODGE Soy Candles) and the major public art project I designed - All Our Relations - for the City of Hamilton’s waterfront.
Tell us about All Our Relations?
All Our Relations is a public art installation I designed for a City of Hamilton/Waterfront Trust public art competition held in 2019. A volunteer citizen jury selected the work "All Our Relations" by the artist team led by myself and supported by Paull Rodrigue Glass, Cobalt Connects, LaFontaine Iron Werks Inc. and EXP to be commissioned in 2020.
The inspiration to create these panels and artwork came through the traditional teachings I’ve received throughout the years as well as the principles of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address.
My hope is to remind people when they visit the Hamilton waterfront, of the intrinsic and interdependent relationship we have with Mother Earth, the natural world: the water, the plants, trees and medicines, and the animal world, This also includes the Spirit World, the Sky Beings, the 4 Sacred Winds, our Grandfather the Sun, Grandmother Moon, and our Ancestors the Stars. I also wanted to acknowledge all the Indigenous Ancestors who have historically called this area home for millennia – from the Neutral, Anishnabek, and Huron nations and more recently, the Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas.
As fires are currently burning in parts of Canada and around the world, and global warming melts the permafrost and icecaps in Alaska, the world is finally becoming aware of how interconnected we are and that what happens in one country affects us all. Indigenous people around the globe have always known this and have been valiantly trying to protect what we have left.
Hamilton is located within the Niagara Escarpment – a recognized, world UNESCO Biosphere Reserve which includes a rich biodiversity of rivers, lakes, waterfalls and forests that support numerous species of birds, fish, reptiles and mammals. It has the oldest forest ecosystem and trees in eastern North America. I have chosen to represent just a few of these species in this artwork for the public to enjoy and learn more about when visiting or living near the Hamilton waterfront.
We must acknowledge, give thanks and protect all our precious, natural resources so that we can ALL continue to live and thrive not only in this beautiful area but on this incredible planet which is our mother. Water is Life. "Nipipimahtisuwin" (Cree).
To learn more about the project, visit: https://www.hamilton.ca/things-do/arts-music/public-art/west-harbour-james-street-plaza-public-art-project
Why are projects like this one important and what kind of impact do you hope it has on the community?
As an Indigenous woman, designer, artist, entrepreneur and mother, everything I do is informed by our 7 Generations principle - to do everything in my power to make sure that the next 7 generations and beyond, will still have a beautiful and healthy place to live and thrive. That they will have clean water to drink and air to breathe, that we will still have most of our plant, animal and reptile/fish species here, etc. This project is also important as it provides insight into a different way of approaching public art. There are many levels and layers to this installation. It was created with an important educational element built in - not only for the public who come to view it but to be included in local school curriculums so that our youth can not only learn about the vital importance of our ecosystem, but about Indigenous culture, history, our ways of being and knowing and the layers of meaning behind our art. The other exciting and important part of the All Our Relations public art installation is that the site itself is now going to become a much needed, designated space for the urban Indigenous community to utilize for special ceremonies and gatherings. This was one of my greatest hopes as far as leaving a legacy for the City’s future.
How is your work influenced by your connection with water?
Water is life - nothing can survive here without it which is why I felt the Thunderbird needed to be the central panel of this installation. The Thunderbird brings rain which is vital for our survival. I wanted to show the interconnectedness and necessity of water to all living things and to hopefully bring more attention to the importance of keeping our waters clean - especially Hamilton’s harbour which has been abused by industry for over a century and subjected to the dumping of raw sewage for many years.
Do you have anything else that you’d like to share about your work, your connection to water, or how we can encourage people to join the movement for a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future?
We will be inviting Indigenous water walkers as well as elders, drummers and singers to our Installation Ceremony on Sept. 30th as a way to honour them for the important work they do, but to also make more people aware of their hard work, the ceremonies they are keeping and practicing for the benefit and future of this country and Mother Earth. It is inexcusable that there are still many Indigenous communities in this wealthy country that don’t have drinkable water and I hope this installation will also help to create more awareness and initiatives to change that. Our communities still rely on the fish that swim and spawn in our waters for sustenance and we must protect them at all costs.
I’ll leave you with a famous and frighteningly true, Cree prophecy ~ When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.
Clif Family Foundation is proud to support hundreds of organizations that are working tirelessly to strengthen our food system, enhance equitable community health outcomes, and protect the places we play by being stewards of our environment and natural resources. Their desire is to leave the world a better place for our children.
