NIPIGON — Superior Country has a new monument dedicated to Indigenous Group of Seven member Norval Morriseau as part of the North Shore Tourism Project.
The installation at Nipigon’s Bridgeview Lookout, which was formally unveiled Thursday, consists of an interpretive panel below a metal bird airbrushed with photos of Morriseau, which all stand on a wooden platform.
The design is a reference to Morriseau’s spirit name — Ozaawaabiko-binesi — meaning “Copper Thunderbird” in Cree.
“It makes me proud,” said Eugene Morriseau, one of Morriseau’s seven children, who was at the event to see the new monument and gave a short speech.
Norval Morriseau was born in the region and spent his formative years at Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek (BNA) First Nation, approximately 65 kilometres north of Nipigon.
“[It’s] a great honour for my father because he was born there — that’s his traditional area,” said Morriseau. “For that to be held at Nipigon Bridge, I’m really excited, including myself and my siblings.”
Firedog Communications designed the monument and BHP Productions fabricated and installed it. Both companies operate out of Thunder Bay.
Development of the monument was a collaborative effort between Superior Country staff, the estate of Norval Morriseau, Joseph Sanchez, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, and the Red Rock Indian Band.
“We are very excited to unveil a… monument celebrating the successes of the Indigenous Group of Seven — and, specifically, Norval Morriseau who is from this region,” said Dan Bevilacqua, executive director of Superior Country.
The Nipigon Public Library actually houses “The Great Bear Spirit,” an original Morriseau painting.
Bevilacqua noted that this is a big step towards greater awareness of the Indigenous Group of Seven — something he and staff at Superior Country hope to bring more of to the region and to travellers passing through.
“There’s been a big gap in the promotion of the Indigenous Group of Seven,” said Bevilacqua.
“While we see a lot of promotion around the Group of Seven, Indigenous Group of Seven hasn’t been touched upon. This is a great opportunity for us to really showcase the importance of Indigenous peoples to the area and the importance of art and culture to the area as well. Being able to celebrate Norval Morriseau — who is right from this region — is very important to us.”
“For my father to be recognized, it takes time on stuff like that,” said Morriseau, “for people to know who he really was… for him to start this movement, to inspire a lot of people, even myself as a second-generation artist - it’s good.”
Although Norval Morriseau passed away on Dec. 4, 2007, his legacy and the influence of his craft — and that of the entire Indigenous Group of Seven — continues to grow.
