Offering Back
10 years ago we went to the mountain
Ribbons of Red, Yellow, Black and White
We said Miigwech, Lim Limpt to the Earth for her generosity
We asked her to remember us
Rocks round with memory
Pulled my hand to them
Imagined themselves into my pocket
Into my home, like prayers
Rock on rock
Ground to soft powder wishing to be paint
Stains my flesh as I wrap and carry
Each one back to the horizons that surround us
CATHI CHARLES WHERRY
Cathi Charles Wherry is Anishnaabeque, and a member of the Rama Mnjikaning First Nation, where her Father was born. Her Mother’s ancestors crossed the ocean from England five generations ago. Since 1979 she has lived on beautiful Coast Salish territory in Victoria and WSANEC. A graduate of the Visual Arts Program at Camosun College (1991), she also holds a BFA with Honours in Studio Arts from the University of Victoria (1994). In all of her work, she strives to realize a balanced expression of this training and the Anishnaabemowin that resides in her memory and bones.
As a visual artist Cathi has participated in numerous group shows, and has had three solo exhibitions. Through her work she attempts to illuminate unseen stories, threads of time, and the spirit of materials and place. Cathi is also a writer and curator, with projects that include: invincible spirit (1995), earthy gestures (2001), and Transporters – Contemporary Salish Art (2007). She served on the Kakaekwewin Aboriginal Advisory for Canada Council for the Arts from 2010-2013. Since 1996, Cathi has served as Art Programs Manager for the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, a First Nations directed organization that supports Indigenous languages, arts and cultures in British Columbia.