Totemic Guardians of the Great Return (2020) Painting by Ritchie Sinclair

"Totemic Guardians of the Great Return"
Ritchie Sinclair, 2016, 4ft x 5ft acrylic & copper on canvas,

“Long ago cataclysm forced the People to journey far out into the ocean in search of a new home. One day they discovered a Seaway that led deep into a vast land of fresh water lakes teeming with life. As they ventured deeper they happened upon a beautiful island shaped like a turtle, with waters protected by a Sea Serpent and skies by a Great Thunderbird. The People were compelled to settle there and they thrived for many generations.”

This totemic goodwill painting considers the ancestral migration allegory of the Seven Fires Prophecy while offering talismanic empowerment for those so embraced by its aura and meaning. Over eons the cyclic struggle between the Thunderbirds of the Skies and the Serpents of the Deep play out their dramas through all earthly forms, including humankind, yet at the centre of the cyclone all is well.

PRIMARY FIGURES
• The Thunderbird: – mastery of the air and of the upper-world.
• The Turtle: - denotes longevity, stability and wisdom. This Turtle symbolizes our home, the womb, Mother Earth, the beaver lodge, the wigwam and the sacred sweat lodge. Here is safety and security. Here is the circle in the cycles at a point of perfect balance. Here is a living portal and time machine. Here is our beloved soul.
• The Great Horned Serpent, Mishibijiw: - mastery of the water and of the underworld.

SECONDARY FIGURES
• A Shaman and three disciples in a grand canoe embark on vision quest through the seasons.
• The 3 Great Fish depict the abundance afforded by Thunderbird and Mishibijiw protection.
• The 6 Loons nesting are symbolic guardians of the Great Lakes and of the St. Lawrence Seaway
• The 24 Salmon represent the People; great souls on the great return journey to the source of their abundant lives to re-spawn yet again.

Related themes

Original PaintingWoodland ArtWest-Coast ArtVibrational ArtCanadian Art