Student Essay
Pohanna Pyne Feinberg
This essay was written by an M.A. student in a Museum Practice seminar in the Department of Art History, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University. The seminar was taught by Dr. Loren Lerner with the assistance of Dina Vescio, a M.A. graduate of the program.
Introduction
Sculptor and painter Lloyd Pinay can trace his heritage to Plains Ojibway, Plains Cree and Sioux origins. As is evident in the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, his work often focuses on the integral relationship between humanity and the natural environment. His extensive body of work in both stone and bronze sculpture indicates that he is fluent in both realistic and surreal expressions. Pinay’s artwork can be found in collections throughout the United States and Canada and he has won acclaim in both juried exhibitions and monument commissions.2
In the following interview with Lloyd Pinay, he discusses his artistic conviction for seeking justice and respect for Aboriginal veterans and the diverse Aboriginal cultural heritage in Canada. Pinay’s vision and technical ability imbues the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument with its powerful symbolism and strength of purpose. Given that this is “the first [commemorative monument] in the National Capital directly associated with Canada’s First Peoples,” it contributes to creating more public awareness about an important aspect of world history that may have continued to be overlooked.3 Pinay hopes the monument will impart a deeper appreciation for the contributions of the thousands of volunteer war veterans as well as a more profound understanding of their diverse Aboriginal cultural heritages (fig. 1).
Making the Monument
Why did you decide to make the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument?
I received a request from what is referred to as NAVA, the National Aboriginal Veterans Association. They asked for submissions, conceptually, just on paper initially, and then they selected me and gave me further instruction to do a small scale maquette version. The original concept remained the same, but I did insist that we should be utilizing the importance of a woman within the sculpture (fig. 2).
Why did you feel it was important to emphasize the woman in the sculpture?
I felt strongly because obviously women were also part of this effort and this was very important. There were a lot of women in all of these wars. So, I ran it by them and they agreed. Also there is the aspect that, while some of these women were nurses, that was not too well recognized. Also it meant having a single parent role at home, for some of the men who went over somebody had to keep the family together – so that’s the other aspect (fig. 3).
Did making the monument have a personal significance for you?
It did because my dad was a World War II veteran, he was in what they call the first paratroop division, which was a commando division, and I think their first major combat mission was behind the lines on Normandy beach, the D-Day invasion [the Normandy Landings, June 1944]. 4 They were dropped in behind the lines. The casualty rate was astounding; not many were expected to live. Actually it was a joint force comprised of Americans, British and Canadians that were assigned this task.
He went through most of the war and was severely wounded towards the end of the war, but it was hard to get him to talk about it. You have to imagine that in essence these were young children that were sent off like that and that comes through too [in the monument]. They were pretty brave to do what they did. That influenced this work too; my dad had gone through all that and it wasn’t as glorified as we think through video games and whatever. It was real. I admire anybody who can go through all of that and yet become a survivor.
My dad never bragged about what he did. It wasn’t until the last three four years of his life that he talked about what they had done. Something that traumatic in your life is hard to talk about. It was pretty amazing some of the stories he told – a lot of his stories had nothing to do with combat. They had more to do with humanity.
He talked about saving a horse one time that got tangled up in barbed wire. His commanding officer said “well, no we’ve gotta get into this town.” He said “Just give us an extra fifteen minutes to untangle this horse, it’s going to die.” So, they did. He and a few other soldiers managed to untangle the horse and set it free and, as they were about to go into that town, the whole town blew up. It was just pure luck. If they had not stopped to do something that was humanitarian, they would have been in that town and also would have died (fig. 4).
Symbolism in the Monument
Can you describe the symbolism in the sculpture and how you came to choose those symbols?
As an artist, most of my work tends to have a connection to nature. In this case, it is the recognition that man himself is part of nature. Native people have always had a spirit guide, something that they admired whether for courage, or longevity perhaps, or skill. In this work, I tried to reflect this by using a wolf and a bear, a buffalo and an elk. There are attributes that go with each of those animals very much admired by Native cultures: the wariness of the elk; the tenacity of the buffalo; the bear, not for ferocity, but for its ability to heal. Of course, the wolf is sharp of scent, but its main attribute is family values.
I looked also across the country and selected four groups, which was the only way to do it. Directionally, four is a very important symbol. There are four directions, four seasons; many things in life are based on the concept of four. Yet at the same time, I tried to balance each part the sculpture with an equal and opposite side to it. Hence, in the sculpture we have two creatures that are predators and also two that are prey. Within the sculpture we have two weapons as opposed to two objects of peace (figs. 5 & 6).
Overall, the major theme was that the reason for war is in all likelihood a desire for peace.
What is the significance of the eagle?
The golden eagle within Plains Aboriginal culture is actually the messenger between the Creator and man. The golden eagle is admired for its hunting ability. It is also one of the few birds, believe it or not – and this has happened to me too – that you can approach in the wild and they seem to have a sense of whether you are going to hurt them or not. I have actually sat next to golden eagles a few times. So, I can see their significance as a messenger. They are much admired. And I also went with wings in a V sign – like V for victory. This is because – I don’t know if you call it good and bad – but they [the Aboriginal veterans] triumphed and it was important to include that (fig. 7).
Communicating through the Monument
What are you hoping to communicate through this monument?
Obviously the overall purpose was to express the role that Aboriginal people played in defending the country and defending freedom. That’s been a long standing thing. The only era we did not cover, which I really did want to, was the pre-war period. Where, in the formation of Canada, can you find examples of monuments that commemorate how the six nations saved Canada? The Minnesota and Sioux actually stopped another American encroachment on Canada. These connections go back hundreds of years. I pushed for that, but I don’t always get my own way (laughs). The elders wanted to cover the First World War, Second World War, the Korean War and the present day. Obviously they are my elders and I respect what they say. They had a meeting and passed over what I wanted to do; they wanted it more up to date, and admittedly, they might be right.
What I wanted to communicate also is that it was a whole different era then. When they joined the army, they were treated as equals when they were overseas, but when they came back to Canada they were more or less prisoners again. They were told to go back to their reserve and they were promised many things by going to fight for Canada, but then they were turned down. It’s a big shame. You have to realize that I think it was only in 1960 when Indian people finally got the vote – that is fairly recent history.5 Part of the reason for the monument was to address those issues too. We know the role they played was very important. There was no conscription involved; these were all volunteers. It’s kind of a shame that it took, what, fifty or sixty years before they started to get some recognition for the part they played – and yet it still hasn’t been fully recognized (fig. 8).
Who do you hope will see this monument and is there any group of people you wanted it to speak to most when you were making it?
I tend to view it as a statement. The monument is for my dad and other Native vets who were stuffed into obscurity. Even though they had done outstanding things, they seem to have been ignored. It’s the same age-old thing where you almost die for your country, but you’re left out of it when you come back. It’s like you weren’t there at all. I consider that to be a major injustice. This has been partially addressed, but there is still a heel in those dents left.6
Figures
fig. 1 National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, Sept. 2009. (Photo: National Capital Commission)
fig. 2 Preliminary Proposal for War Memorial Project, Submitted by the National Aboriginal Veterans Association to the National Capital Commission Archive, Jun. 1996. (Photo: National Capital Commission)
fig. 3 Lloyd Pinay (creating the monument). (Photo: National Capital Commission)
fig. 4 National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, Sept. 2009. (Photo: National Capital Commission)
fig. 5 National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, Sept. 2009. (Photo: National Capital Commission)
fig. 6 National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, Sept. 2009. (Photo: National Capital Commission)
fig. 7 National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, Sept. 2009. (Photo: National Capital Commission)
fig. 8 Honour Song performed by Traditional Drum, Big Stone (Inauguration ceremony for the monument, 2001), National Aboriginal Veterans Association. (Photo: © Charles Stevens & National Aboriginal Veterans Association ~ Ontario Region {http://www.nava-on.ca/Gallery/monument/Honour%20Song.html})
Notes
Special thanks to Scoles Fine Arts and Framing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for making this interview possible. Additional contextual information about the history and the significance of the monument was also graciously offered by Janet McGowan and Anne Dionne of the National Capital Commission.
For more information about Lloyd Pinay, see: Scoles Fine Arts and Framing {http://scolesarts.tripod.com/id12.html}; and Aboriginal Faces of Saskatchewan {http://www.sicc.sk.ca/faces/mpinall.htm}.
National Capital Commission, National Aboriginal Veterans Monument: Description of Completed Monument, archival document; and National Capital Commission, Project Approval, archive letter to Claude Petit (Vice President of NAVA), 1999. For more information about the process of creating and the inauguration of the National Aboriginal Veterans Memorial, see: National Aboriginal Veterans Association {http://www.nava-on.ca/nava_history.html}; Saskatchewan Sage {http://www.ammsa.com/sage/ JUNE98.html#anchor4984796}; Veterans Affairs Canada {http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=feature/abmem}; and Governor General of Canada Media Archive {http://archive.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocI}.
For more information about The Normandy Landings (D-day), see: {http://www.britannica.com/dday}.
Prior to 1960, First Nations people were forced to give up their status in order to vote in Federal elections. For more information about the history of voting for First Nations peoples, see: Assembly of First Nations {http://www.afn.ca/}; and the CBC special feature on the history of Aboriginal Peoples {http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/aboriginals/ national_organizations.html}.
For more information about Aboriginal veterans, see: Aboriginal Veterans Essential facts and timeline by The War Amps {http://www.amputesdeguerre.ca/newsroom/archives/abvet/back.html}; Veteran Affairs Canada {http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/other/aboriginal}; Indian and Northern Affairs Canada {http://www.ainc-inac.com/ai/scr/on/rp/abve-eng.asp}; and Aboriginal Veterans: Stories of Honour and Heroism {http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ach/lr/ks/cr/pubs/vet-eng.asp}.
