Native Woodland Art

10/12/2026

'Seeking Vision At Tree Of Life' Sikaasika - Original Native Woodland Art $540 CAD

Created in 2001, this piece of original Woodland Art is titled 'Seeking Vision At Tree Of Life'
Acrylic on canvas board, 16x20 inch.

There is a feeling of sincerity and calmness within this image.

Sikaasika (see-ka-see-ka) name given by Elders of Midewiwin - proper spelling unknown, it means light of the sun rippling across the land as it rises. Francis Esquega was born in Macdiarmid Ontario in 1955 while living at Esquega-ville near Sand Point, I became fascinated with colouring and drawing in my childhood, started to do some art in early 70's as a hobby and it is still a favorite today, and while attending Nipigon public school in 1969-70 I designed a school crest and won the logo contest.
I was colouring and drawing lots when I was about 8-9 yrs old, horses, buffalo, my dad used to holler buffalo and I'd go around charging anybody in the way. You know there's artistic talent in my family, beading, leather moccasins, mitts, carvings, art drawings, my aunt and uncle were into that, the talent runs in the family. My great grandmother was a pipe carrier and she would give names which was a powerful medicine to the people. Then booze entered peoples lives and things started to get out of hand, my Grandparents buried traditions in the bush because of this.
The Native Woodland School of Art is a very distinct type of art, when I paint I use a rough drawing to go by, I use my own knowledge of a story line to explain symbols that reflect tradition without being taboo, that is very critical when you put a spirit to paint. Ojibway customary stories should only be told in Winter so as not to disturb those spirits, I think taboo has been broken, I seen some Norval Morrisseau art that aren't even shown to the public. Norval used to stay with us long ago before he painted. Later, in those days we went to see Norval paint often in Beardmore (2 hour walk each way) he had a big house there and a lot of friends.
My very first solo exhibition took place in 1988 in downtown Port Arthur, up in the Keskus Mall, I sold out thirty-two water colour originals. I used to hide animals in my landscapes, you really had to look for them, was catchy, lots liked my idea, haven't done too much water colour ones lately. I've also printed my work on canvas and paper and have had my artwork produced on postcards and calendars. Over the years I have sold my paintings to customers across Canada, down in the states and to many European tourists visiting Winnipeg, Manitoba and Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Sikaasika's (Francis Esquega) original artwork is sure to be a family heirloom or a worthwhile investment!

10/12/2026

'Great Serpent and the Great Flood' Gloria Kwandibens 2001 Original Native Woodland Art $1400 CAD

Acrylic on canvas board, 20x24 inch. Here we see a powerful image of a pair of venomous Great Serpents slithering in cohesiveness.

Great Serpent and the Great Flood

One day when Nanabozho returned to his lodge after a long journey, he missed his young cousin (the Wolf) who lived with him. He called the cousin's name but heard no answer. Looking around on the sand for tracks, Nanabozho was startled by the trail of the Great Serpent. He then knew that his cousin had been seized by his enemy.

Nanabozho picked up his bow and arrows and followed the track of the serpent. He passed the great river, climbed mountains, and crossed over valleys until he came to the shores of a deep and gloomy lake. It is now called Manitou Lake, Spirit Lake, and also the Lake of Devils. The trail of the Great Serpent led to the edge of the water.

Nanabozho could see, at the bottom of the lake, the house of the Great Serpent. It was filled with evil spirits, who were his servants and his companions. Their forms were monstrous and terrible. Most of them, like their master, resembled spirits. In the centre of this horrible group was the Great Serpent himself, coiling his terrifying length around the cousin of Nanabozho.

The head of the Serpent was red as blood. His fierce eyes glowed like fire. His entire body was armed with hard and glistening scales of every color and shade.

Looking down on these twisting spirits of evil, Nanabozho made up his mind that he would get revenge on them for the death of his cousin.

He said to the clouds, "Disappear!"

And the clouds went out of sight.

"Winds, be still at once!" And the winds became still.

When the air over the lake of evil spirits had become stagnant, Nanabozho said to the sun, "Shine over the lake with all the fierceness you can. Make the water boil."

In these ways, thought Nanabozho, he would force the Great Serpent to seek the cool shade of the trees growing on the shores of the lake. There he would seize the enemy and get revenge.

After giving his orders, Nanabozho took his bow and arrows and placed himself near the spot where he thought the serpents would come to enjoy the shade. Then he changed himself into the broken stump of a withered tree.

The winds became still, the air stagnant, and the sun shot hot rays from a cloudless sky. In time, the water of the lake became troubled, and bubbles rose to the surface. The rays of the sun had penetrated to the home of the serpents. As the water bubbled and foamed, a serpent lifted his head above the centre of the lake and gazed around the shores. Soon another serpent came to the surface. Both listened for the footsteps of Nanabozho, but they heard him nowhere.

"Nanabozho is sleeping," they said to one another.

And then they plunged beneath the waters, which seemed to hiss as they closed over the evil spirits.

Not long after, the lake became more troubled. Its water boiled from its very depths, and the hot waves dashed wildly against the rocks on its banks. Soon the Great Serpent came slowly to the surface of the water and moved toward the shore. His blood-red crest glowed. The reflection from his scales was blinding--as blinding as the glitter of a sleet-covered forest beneath the winter sun. He was followed by all the evil spirits. So great was their number that they soon covered the shores of the lake.

When they saw the broken stump of the withered tree, they suspected that it might be one of the disguises of Nanabozho. They knew his cunning. One of the serpents approached the stump, wound his tail around it, and tried to drag it down into the lake. Nanabozho could hardly keep from crying aloud, for the tail of the monster prickled his sides. But he stood firm and was silent.

The evil spirits moved on. The Great Serpent glided into the forest and wound his many coils around the trees. His companions also found shade--all but one. One remained near the shore to listen for the footsteps of Nanabozho.

From the stump, Nanabozho watched until all the serpents were asleep and the guard was intently looking in another direction. Then he silently drew an arrow from his quiver, placed it in his bow, and aimed it at the heart of the Great Serpent. It reached its mark. With a howl that shook the mountains and startled the wild beasts in their caves, the monster awoke. Followed by its terrified companions, which also were howling with rage and terror, the Great Serpent plunged into the water.

At the bottom of the lake there still lay the body of Nanabozho's cousin. In their fury the serpents tore it into a thousand pieces. His shredded lungs rose to the surface and covered the lake with whiteness.

The Great Serpent soon knew that he would die from his wound, but he and his companions were determined to destroy Nanabozho. They caused the water of the lake to swell upward and to pound against the shore with the sound of many thunders. Madly the flood rolled over the land, over the tracks of Nanabozho, carrying with it rocks and trees. High on the crest of the highest wave floated the wounded Great Serpent. His eyes glared around him, and his hot breath mingled with the hot breath of his many companions.

Nanabozho, fleeing before the angry waters, thought of his Indian children. He ran through their villages, shouting, "Run to the mountaintops! The Great Serpent is angry and is flooding the earth! Run! Run!"

The people caught up their children and found safety on the mountains. Nanabozho continued his flight along the base of the western hills and then up a high mountain beyond Lake Superior, far to the north. There he found many men and animals that had escaped from the flood that was already covering the valleys and plains and even the highest hills. Still the waters continued to rise. Soon all the mountains were under the flood, except the high one on which stood Nanabozho.

There he gathered together timber and made a raft. Upon it the men and women and animals with him placed themselves. Almost immediately the mountaintop disappeared from their view, and they floated along on the face of the waters. For many days they floated. At long last, the flood began to subside. Soon the people on the raft saw the trees on the tops of the mountains. Then they saw the mountains and hills, then the plains and the valleys.

When the water disappeared from the land, the people who survived learned that the Great Serpent was dead and that his companions had returned to the bottom of the lake of spirits. There they remain to this day. For fear of Nanabozho, they have never dared to come forth again.

About the artist: The only female artist I have had the opportunity to purchase art from, Gloria Kwandibens from Collins Ontario, it’s a place you won’t even find on most maps. Gloria has painted few paintings like this one. This painting represents focus and determination to the task at hand. Gloria also paints images of Mother Earth and many types of animals, such as eagles, wolves, horses, lynx, cougars all with a very unique female appearance.
Nearly thirty years ago, Gloria first began selling her artwork. It was her very first paintings that she brought into the Sterling Store in the Victoriaville Mall in Thunder Bay Ontario during the mid 1990's. In that time, Gloria's sales history has been extensive, the numerous logo's created over the years include sales to First Nations, Medical Services, Legal Clinics, Cancer Care Unit, Forestry Company, Woman's & Elder's Groups, as well as a logo for a Mining Company.
Gloria Kwandibens (1974-) born and raised in Collins Ontario, located approximately 300 kms North of Thunder Bay along the CNR mainline. I am a self taught artist and work mostly with fine line pens and acrylics, I have worked in various beads, leather, wood and birch bark projects.
I started drawing as a child in Collins and started painting in my late teens when I got to high school, as a child in Collins, I used to go over to my cousins house just to see her Native Woodland Art, it inspired me to want to create and draw. I began selling paintings to private buyers, while in Collins my uncle Morris who is a wood worker would also hand carve cedar planes, tikinagans (baby cradle boards) and paddles which I would also paint for him, he had taught me to make a birch bark moose caller which then began my interest in crafting birch bark. By the time I was into my early 30’s I had learned birch crafts by the Magiskan family and also focused more on beadwork at that time, and now in my 40’s I had just started to learn more on leather crafting and was taught how to identify and harvest sweetgrass by my friend from Shawanaga First Nation a few years ago.
I have done illustrations for First Nations, company and personal logos, provided wares to local gift and First Nation Reserve gift shops, donated art and carvings to fundraisers, provided beadwork to crafters, designed art for tattoos, and have enjoyed painting personal wall murals for friends.
Namaygoosisagagun First Nation is a non-status Ojibwa First Nation near Onamakawash Lake, on the northshore of Collins Lake, northwest of Lake Nipigon; the First Nation is applying for official band status and reserve lands through the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. The name "Namaygoosisagagun" comes from Namegosi-zaaga'igan, meaning "Trout Lake," which is the Aboriginal name for Collins Lake. Though Namaygoosisagagun First Nation have about 140 people registered, only about 30 people live in Collins Lake. Collins Lake may be accessed either by Canadian National Railway line or by airplane.

10/11/2026

'Mishipeshu' Ringo Fiddler Original Native Woodland Art $1200 CAD

Created in 2002, this piece of original Woodland Art is titled 'Mishipeshu'

Acrylic on stretched canvas, 18x24 inch. Ready to hang!

An underwater panther, called Mishipeshu or Mishibijiw in Ojibwe is one of the most important of several mythological water beings among many Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands and Great Lakes region, particularly among the Anishinaabe.
Mishipeshu translates into "the Great Lynx". It has the head and paws of a giant cat but is covered in scales and has dagger-like spikes running along its back and tail. Mishipeshu calls Michipicoten Island in Lake Superior his home and is a powerful creature in the mythological traditions of some Indigenous North American tribes, particularly Anishinaabe, the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi, of the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. In addition to the Anishinaabeg, Innu also have Mishibizhiw stories.
To the Algonquins, the underwater panther was the most powerful underworld being. The Ojibwe traditionally held them to be masters of all water creatures, including snakes. Some versions of the Nanabozho creation legend refers to whole communities of water lynx.
Some archaeologists believe that underwater panthers were major components of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex of the Mississippian culture in the prehistoric American Southeast.
In the Ojibwe language, this creature is sometimes called Mishibizhiw, Mishipizhiw, Mishipizheu, Mishupishu, Mishepishu, Michipeshu, or Mishibijiw, which translates as "Great Lynx", or Gichi-anami'e-bizhiw ("Gitche-anahmi-bezheu"), which translates as "the fabulous night panther". However, it is also commonly referred to as the "Great underground wildcat" or "Great under-water wildcat." It is the most important of the underwater animals for the Ojibwa.
In mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes, underwater panthers are described as water monsters that live in opposition to the Thunderbirds, masters of the powers of the air. Underwater Panthers are seen as an opposing yet complementary force to the Thunderbirds, and they are engaged in eternal conflict.
The underwater panther was an amalgam of parts from many animals: the body of a wild feline, often a cougar or lynx; the horns of deer or bison; upright scales on its back; occasionally feathers; and parts from other animals as well, depending on the particular myth. Underwater panthers are represented with exceptionally long tails, occasionally with serpentine properties. The creatures are thought to roar or hiss in the sounds of storms or rushing rapids.
Mishipizheu were said to live in the deepest parts of lakes and rivers, where they can cause storms. Some traditions believed the underwater panthers to be helpful, protective creatures, but more often they were viewed as malevolent beasts that brought death and misfortune. They often need to be placated for safe passage across a lake. As late as the 1950s, the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians performed a traditional ceremony to placate the Underworld Panther and maintain balance with the Thunderbird.
When ethnographer Johann Georg Kohl visited the United States in the 1850s, he spoke with a Fond du Lac chief, who showed Kohl a piece of copper kept in his medicine bag. The chief said it was a strand of hair from the mishibizhiw, and thus considered extremely powerful.
Mishipeshu is known for guarding the vast amounts of copper in Lake Superior and the Great Lakes Region. Indigenous people mined copper long before the arrival of Europeans to the area. Later, during the 17th century, missionaries of the Society of Jesus arrived in the Great Lakes Region. By that time, swiping copper from the region was extremely taboo and forbidden by the Ojibwa tribe. It was even worse to take it from the Great Lynx's home, Michipicoten Island; this was considered to be stealing from Mishipeshu himself.
There are a few stories of encounters with this great beast. A Jesuit missionary named Claude Dablon told a story about four Ojibwa people who embarked on a journey to the home of Mishipeshu to take some copper back to their home, and use it to heat water. The very second they pushed off and backed into the water with their canoe, the eerie voice of the water panther surrounded them. The water panther came growling after them, vigorously accusing them of stealing the playthings of his children. All four of the people died on the way back to their village, the last one surviving just long enough to tell the tale of what had happened in his final moments before he died.
The underwater panther is well represented in pictograms. Historical Anishnaabe twined and quilled men's bags often feature an underwater panther on one panel and the Thunderbird on the other. Norval Morrisseau (Ojibwe) painted underwater panthers in his Woodlands style artworks, contemporary paintings based on Ojibwe oral history and cosmology. The emblem has been embellished, and appears as a decorative motif on muskets.
The Canadian Museum of History includes an underwater panther in its coat of arms.
In 2003, archaeologist Brad Lepper suggested that the Alligator Effigy Mound in Granville, Ohio represents the underwater panther. Lepper posits that early European settlers, when learning from Native Americans that the mound represented a fierce creature that lived in the water and ate people, mistakenly assumed that the Native Americans were referring to an alligator.

Artist statement:

I was born in Kenora, Ontario and raised in the First Nation community of Sandy Lake, Ontario. I am a self-taught artist; my art is in the Nature Woodland style. I have been doing this type of art since I was 15 years of age.
The person whom inspired me to paint was Joshim Kakegamic. He had shown me his artwork and from there I wanted to get into art. He had told me that if he could do it that I could too. I had practiced sketching and later on went into colors by using the school’s accessories, from crayons to paint.
My uncle Johnny Meekis who was the one that bought my first set of acrylic paints and paint brushes for me and that is when I started painting full-time.
The images that came into mind are also my hunting experiences and other traditional activities, from there, I have used and expressed them through my paint brush.
I have taught in an art class for the youth at the Thomas Fiddler Memorial High School and have spoken about my art in numerous schools .
It was good to share my art work with the youth.
I remember my late-grandfather once told me that you can show your Woodland style art work out there to the world, and I have.
I am thankful to Norval Morrisseau for opening the doorway of Woodland art to the world. Miigwetch.
The meanings behind the images I use in my paintings were told to me by my Grandfather and other elders in my community. Here is a brief list of some of the images and colors I use in my paintings and what they represent.
The feather represents the Love for all of creation and it is also used for communication, and many mother ceremonial uses.
The loon represents the love for each other as the loon themselves have only one mate.
The wolf tracks represent strength, bonding, endurance and sharing.
The thunderbird represents protection.
The four primary colors I use are:
Red-Summer
Yellow-Spring
Black-Spring
White-Winter
Blue-Grandfather
Green-Grandmother
There are also spiritual meanings to the images used in my paintings.
As I continue to paint more meanings may come forward.

Ringo spent his life creating artwork and his paintings have been popular since the 1980's when he first began sharing his gift for his love of Woodland Art.
Ringo Fiddler was a true warrior who spent his time protecting vulnerable woman & children in the North. Sadly, Ringo Fiddler passed away in November of 2021.

Ringo Fiddler original artwork is sure to be a family heirloom or a worthwhile investment!

10/10/2026

🔥 Lloyd Kakepetum
Iyas Destroys the World – 28x40” Acrylic on Canvas • Ready to Hang
💰 $3600 CAD

10/08/2026

The winning logo for the new Moose Cree / WAHA Hospice Program has been selected! We're very happy with the response we received; we had almost 600 people cast a vote!

Angeline Gagnon of Moose Factory is the winner! Congratulations!

Thank you for the logo submissions. Both logos were beautiful and creative.

Moose Cree Home & Community Care

10/04/2026

October 4, Sisters in Spirit Day, is the National Day of Action to honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit+ People and stand with the families and First Nations who continue to lead the call for justice.

Across First Nations in Ontario, families and communities continue to carry the names, stories, and memories of their loved ones while leading efforts to bring attention to the ongoing crisis of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2S+ people.

Sisters in Spirit vigils were started by the Native Women's Association of Canada and held across Turtle Island to remember those lost to this genocide. Look for vigils happening in your area to join in honour.

Wear red, light candles, and share prayers, songs, and stories to stand with families.

Chiefs of Ontario Women’s Initiatives Sector has released a report card assessing progress on the National Inquiry’s 231 Calls for Justice.

The report highlights that while some steps have been taken, significant work remains to ensure lasting safety, justice, and healing for families and communities.

Read the full report here:https://chiefs-of-ontario.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-National-Inquirys-231-Calls-for-Justice_A-Report-Card-by-Chiefs-of-Ontario.pdf

Today, we honour those who are missing and those who have been taken from us. We recognize the strength of the families who continue to seek answers and demand accountability.

Artwork by artist Lucia Laford as part of a larger mural created during the Chiefs of Ontario May 4-6, 2026 MMIWG2S+ Family Gathering.

10/04/2026

'Bear Clan' Forrest Chisel 2002 Original Native Woodland Art $3600 CAD

'Bear Clan' was created in 2002 by Forrest Chisel this piece of Original Native Woodland is Acrylic on stretched canvas, 24x36 inch. Ready to hang!

Forrest is from the Rainy River area, many there refer to themselves as The Saulteaux Ojibwa's.
The Saulteaux pronounced SAWL-toh, otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations band government in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. They are a branch of the Ojibwe who pushed west. They formed a mixed culture of woodlands and plains Indigenous customs and traditions.
The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe Nations within Canada. They are sometimes called the Anihšināpē (Anishinaabe). [Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to their former location in the area of Sault Ste. Marie. They were primarily hunters and fishers, and had extensive trading relations with the French, British and later Americans at that post.
The Saulteaux historically were settled around Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg, principally in the areas of present-day Sault Ste. Marie and northern Michigan. the Saulteaux have three major divisions. The Eastern Saulteaux, better known as the Ontario Saulteaux, are located around Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods in Northwestern Ontario and southeastern Manitoba. Many of the Ontario Saulteaux First Nations are signatories to Treaty 3. The Ontario Saulteaux culture is descended from the Eastern Woodlands culture.

The Native Woodland art of Forrest Chisel is absolutely astounding, intense, precise, his lines are so detailed, and smooth.

Forrest Chisel is from the area where they use blue instead of black as part of the four sacred colours powers specifically associated with the spirit of the bear, particularly the ability to heal.

Bear and medicinal properties —is known in virtually all cultures within the bear's range. In 1926, anthropologist A. Irving Hallowell studied bear ceremonialism throughout Europe, Asia and North America and noted that widely divergent cultures shared linguistic taboos in referring to bears, hunted them with spears or axes even when guns were available, honored their carcasses with decorations and speeches, observed similar restrictions on the eating of bear meat, and kept bear bones from other animals. Hallowell concluded that these ceremonial hunting practices shared a single, paleolithic origin that was then widely distributed around the boreal zone in Eurasia and North America. Even with much new data available about Siberian, Lapland Saami, and Japanese Ainu bear ceremonialism, scholars continue to agree with Hallowell's thesis.

Forrest Chisel Original Native Woodland Art is sure to be a family heirloom or a worthwhile investment!

Reasonable offers will be considered.

10/04/2026

Anangoog Meegiwaewinan (The Gift of the Stars)
An Anishinaabe Story

Southwind was five years old when his grandmother took him out into the dark to look at the stars. At first this was exciting. But soon looking up into the sky gave Southwind a sore neck.

As well, he grew tired of looking at stars. "What are stars, grandmother?" he asked. "Babies," his grandmother answered. Southwind looked back up. The stars looked like sparks. But babies they must be. Had his grandmother not said so? So many babies.

They filled the entire sky. A star fell. Southwind gasped. "Oh! Grandma! The baby is going to get hurt!" "Don't fret grandson. The baby won't get hurt. It will fall gently as a feather into someone's arms. Someone's going to receive a wonderful gift tonight. It will make them happy,"

Southwind's grandmother explained. "What kind of gift?" "Some woman is going to get a baby that will make her happy,'' Southwind's grandmother said. Southwind looked back up into the sky.

Not a word did he say. His mind was too small, too young to understand how stars and babies and gifts could be the same thing. To help Southwind understand, his grandmother told him, "One time you were a little star and you came down as a baby to your mother and to your father and to all of us. You made us all very happy. If ever a star falls near you, take it. Take it home! Look after it. It is a great gift that will make you happy." "Will I get a baby, grandmother?" Southwind asked. "No," Southwind's grandmother said. "Only girls get babies. Boys get different kinds of gifts. You'll get a gift."

In that moment Southwind wanted a star to fall nearby so that he could take it up, bring it home and look after it. But none ever fell nearby. Always they fell far away. Always they were gifts for somebody else but not for him. For five years Southwind watched stars with his grandmother. Then he stopped going with his grandmother. Looking at stars was boring. Three more years went by. His grandmother fell ill.

One night Southwind went out to the knoll where his grandmother used to watch the stars.

Before Southwind got to the crest of the little hill, a star fell and it fell just the other side of the hill, where there was a pond. Southwind ran up the knoll and then down the other side to the edge of the pond. But there was nothing in the pond, nothing but white flowers that he'd never before seen.

There was no gift. He turned to go back home. "Take me. Take me home. I am medicine. I will make your grandmother well!" a voice said. The little voice came from the middle of the pond. But there was no one there. Again and again the voice called, "Take me! Take me home with you."

At last Southwind entered the water, waded out to the middle of the pond. In front of him was the white flower that called out. "Take me! Take me home! I am medicine. I am your gift." Southwind was about to yank the flower from its stalk when it screamed, "No! All of me! All of me!" But it was not an easy thing to lift the flower from its bed.

To do this Southwind had to go underwater many times to dig the long root of the flower from its muddy bed. When he finally dug the flower out, Southwind took it home. With the flower Southwind's father made a medicine.

They gave it to the old sick woman. The medicine made her better. Some months later Southwind and his grandmother were standing on the knoll studying the stars.

He said to her, "No'okomiss, the flower gift that I received; it was really meant for you, wasn't it?" "In a way it is. But it was meant for everybody. But that's the way all human gifts are."

Story by: Basil Johnson-Baa

Painting by: Frank Polson-Baa
Artist Link: https://ashukan.ca/en/collections/paintings/frank-polson

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10/03/2026