Norval morrisseau biography artist malaysia

Norval Morrisseau — is considered by many to be the Mishomis , or grandfather, of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada. His life has been sensationalized in newspapers and documentaries while his unique artistic style has pushed the boundaries of visual storytelling. The creator of the Woodland School of art and a prominent member of the Indian Group of Seven, Morrisseau is best known for using bright colours and portraying traditional stories, spiritual themes, and political messages in his work.

Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau was born in at a time when Indigenous peoples in Canada were confined to reserves, forced to attend residential schools, and banned from practising traditional ceremonial activities. He was the oldest of five children born to Grace Theresa Nanakonagos and Abel Morrisseau, and, in keeping with Anishinaabe tradition, he was sent to live with his maternal grandparents at Sand Point reserve on the shores of Lake Nipigon, Ontario.

Norval Morrisseau CM RCA (March 14, – December 4, ), also known as Copper Thunderbird, was an Indigenous Canadian artist from the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation.

There, Morrisseau learned the stories and cultural traditions of his peoples from his grandfather Moses Potan Nanakonagos, a shaman trained within the Midewiwin spiritual tradition. From his grandmother Veronique Nanakonagos, he learned about Catholicism. At age six, Morrisseau was sent to a residential school, part of an education system set up by the Canadian government in the s.

Residential schools, which operated until the last decades of the twentieth century, forcibly separated Indigenous children from their families and forbade them from acknowledging their cultures or speaking their traditional languages. At St. After two years at St. The young artist preferred to spend his time in the company of elders listening and learning, or completely alone, drawing.

He wanted to draw things he had heard about or seen—like the sacred bear that had come to him in a vision quest, or spirit-beings such as Micipijiu or Thunderbird that were drawn on cliffs—but community members and relatives discouraged him, as Anishinaabe cultural protocols forbid the sharing of this ceremonial knowledge.

Norval Morrisseau, CM RCA (March 14, - December 4, ), referred to as "Copper Thunderbird" is considered the grandfather of contemporary Indigenous art in g: malaysia.

When he was not drawing, Morrisseau spent time fishing, hunting, trapping, picking berries, and holding pulpwood-cutting and highway-construction jobs. In his early teens, he also began drinking alcohol. When he was nineteen, Morrisseau became critically ill.