IMPRESSIVE WOOD SCULPTURES BY GEHARD DEMETZ
In just a few years, Gehard Demetz has risen to international prominence by applying his incredible craftsmanship as a traditional woodcarver to subjects that are new and appealing to contemporary viewers. His sculptures of children are at the same time attractive and disquieting and rendered with an amazing perfection that is by no means rhetorical or classical. One of the most startling technical features is the construction using small woodblocks and juxtaposing finely polished parts to very rough and sketchy surfaces.
As Danny was alluding to, today is the final day for my journey that I took upon myself over 30 days ago. It is with mixed emotions, with a lot of stress, joy, tribulation that I make this statement today that my journey on my hunger strike ends as of today, as we speak today.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride, for my sake, for my family’s sake, for my wife, my children, my grandchildren, for my community. The journey that I took upon myself to try to get some kind of word out to the general population, with respect to the way our people, my people have been treated over the course of these generations.
It’s amazing that, in this day and age, that our people are still not being respected as people in our own land. The non-aboriginal nation have been very complacent in our own territory and insisting that they have total control of every aspect of our lives, our lands, our resources, our waters. Little do they know we welcomed them with open arms when they first foisted their boats and set sail to this land. We nurtured you guys, we gave you our medicine. You guys would have died without our medicine. Without us teaching you how to live and survive in this country. We forged a relationship with you guys, hoping that you would be our partners, in everything, 50/50. We smoked the pipe to symbolize the relationship we wanted to forge with you, government to government, nation to nation, one sovereign nation to another sovereign nation, one country to another country, 50/50. That’s all we ever wanted from the start, 50/50. Nothing more, nothing less.
But through time, the non-aboriginal society, the government, thought that they could take everything from us. I’m an Indian residential school survivor myself. I went to three residential schools. The government of Canada tried to take my identity away from me, my life, my language, my being a First Nations person, to try to assimilate me to a foreign culture that I don’t know about. These are the things that I … in this journey that I took for 43 days, as part of that journey, to tell the world, to tell Canada that enough is enough. Can’t you just leave us alone? Can’t we just be ordinary people in this land? Can we have the same opportunities that you guys live on a daily basis? Can we learn to get along? Can I be received as a human being in my own land? Can I be acknowledged as a contributing society member of this land? Can I have the same opportunities that you guys enjoy, instead of trying to shove me in a corner, or bury me alive, with these genocidal bills that have been created by the government?
Bill C-38 gives … powers to the ministers to do as they wish. In our territory, the royal proclamation of 1763, states that there’s lands reserved for the Indians, that’s supposed to remain undisturbed, unmolested. But look at what these bills are doing to our lands … Bill C-45 takes control of all our lands, our resources, our waters. Bill 428 [wants to revise the Indian Act], where’s the duty and the obligations that lie within that act. Instead of progressing, we’re regressing.
I think it’s about time that the Canadian government and the general society of this land learn that we are part of this society. We’re not going anywhere and we’re never going to go anywhere. We just need our equal opportunities. We want our place in this soil. Is there something wrong with my colour that you don’t like? Is my heart, the blood flowing in my veins, different than yours? What is it? What can I do to tell you that I’m as human as you are? When I look at you, I don’t see no colour, no barriers, no prejudices. That’s the way I lived all my life. I see the beauty in everyone of you guys here, without distinction based on race. You will never see me act that way. But you seem to be doing the opposite. Trying to bury me alive. Bury my wife, my children, my grandchildren, alive. And you’ve taken full control of our daily activities, our way of life, even taken our property rights away. This is the message that I’ve been trying to carry these last 43 days. Sacrificing myself, my health, at the expense of my wife, my children, my grandchildren, to try to help you guys … the Canadian population too. This is your fight too. These acts, these bills will kill us all if they’re forced ahead. We’re supposed to have a freedom of democracy in this land, now where are they? The government takes them away. So fight with us. Make sure these bills do not go anywhere. Thank you very much and that’s what I have to say.
Oh, hey look at this little house I made in Architectural Design! I made the whole thing in 2D in AutoCAD, with flaps and stuff for gluing, then cut it out with a laser and folded it all up! Cool stuff is cool c:
NINTENDO—THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY
Julia Lepetit and Andrew Bridgman of Dorkly have provided an alternate view on the definition of insanity and I have to say I couldn’t agree more!
I only hope that one of the many Far Cry 3 modders out there will see this comic and create a new world where Miyamoto is the lead.
Instead of skinning animals for crafting, you are skinning goombas, turtles, and other Nintendo-inspired critters and when Miyamoto takes over an enemy camp and discovers his Princess is in another camp, he lights the place on fire!
seriously anyone who removes logos from people’s art for like GOD KNOWS WHAT REASON
WHY
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU
did batman’s hand detach from the wrist???
If everyone can take a few moments to read & reblog this post, we can get a little closer to saving my 6 year old cousin’s life.
Her name is Kiki, and she is 6. She was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer in 2011.
I have watched her go from dancing and singing and coloring me pictures, to not being able to move or speak very much at all anymore and living in a hospital bed.
My uncle and aunt had to sell their house to be able to help pay for everything and they are currently living in Ronald McDonald foundation houses and traveling trying to find the best doctors and treatments.
I have tried tweeting to celebrities with a lot of followers to help spread the word, I have tried fundraisers and asking people in my neighborhood for help and it just isn’t working. I finally thought that maybe if I tried Tumblr, people would be kind enough to donate and pass this post along and maybe it will get enough people aware and helping!
A family friend, Tara Strong (voice actress that plays the voice of Timmy Turner, Bubbles from Powerpuff Girls, and many other characters), has been kind enough to help us out by signing posters and letting us sell them and tweeting about the fundraiser but that can only go so far..
EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR COUNTS if every person donated at least a dollar and reblogs this post I really think that we can get this thing going!
Thank you guys so much for the support! if you have any questions my email is laurengrrxx@yahoo.com and you can read more about our situation at the donation website:
