Image of a rabbit, wolf, bear, and moose wearing multicoloured geometric shawls

PRESENT AND PAST

May 21, 2022 - April, 2023

In collaboration with the Musée des Abénakis, this exhibition was produced in-house at the Lac-Brome Museum. It merges pieces from the collections of both Museums with art pieces by Christine Sioui-Wawanoloath, a renowned Abénaki artist. By placing historic artifacts alongside vibrant contemporary installations, visitors are reminded that this is not solely a piece of history long-gone but a living community of today.

A bark canoe with a cut outs of a red rabbit, red wolf, red bear, and red deer. All of the animals are wearing multicolored jackets.

Three painted sculptures of the heads of individuals wearing traditional headdresses. Three miniature full body sculptures of people wearing regalia and headdresses.

A set of five baskets demonstrating the stages of basket weaving.

Flowers made out of ash wood in a bed of sand, stone tools scattered throughout

As the Lac-Brome Museum is located on the traditional territory of the W8banaki Nation, we wanted to highlight the influence of these Indigenous communities as they were and are. Some of the artifacts on display from the Lac-Brome Museum’s collection date are some of the first pieces donated to the Museum, while others are not distinctly local but are representative of the types of objects that would have been used, such as the canoe.

Exhibition & Curatorial Credits

Present and Past: The W8banaki Presence in Brome County was designed and produced by the Lac- Brome Museum. The exhibition was curated by Rachel Lambie, with support from Patricia Lachapelle at the Musée des Abénakis and with the artistic vision of Christine Sioui-Wawanoloath. All art was created by Christine Sioui-Wawanoloath. All photographs courtesy of the Musée des Abénakis or Christine Sioui-Wawanoloath. The basket display and all but one of the chief statues are from the collection of the Musée des Abénakis.

Exhibition installation support was provided by Lisa Belanger, Jack Walker, Rob Crouse, and Nikolas Rinfret-Lamarre. Translation provided by Christine Sioui-Wawanoloath, Anne-Marie Charuest, and Nikolas Rinfret-Lamarre.

The collection of the Lac-Brome Museum was authenticated by Louis-Vincent Laperrière Désorcy, Alexandre Tellier, and Geneviève Treyvaud at the Bureau Ndakina. The graphics were printed by Multi-Impressions RM.

Financial & In-kind Partners

The installation of this exhibition would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of our donors and sponsors. The Lac-Brome Museum extends its profound thanks to Quebec’s Ministry of Culture and Communications, the Town of Brome Lake, and BMO Bank of Montreal.