Art is Essential to Our Culture: Amanda Peters and Mi’kma’ki Artists

Dear Readers,

Earlier this month I had the absolute thrill of coming to New York and finding out that I’d won the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize for my debut novel The Berry Pickers. As I accepted the award, I thanked my family and community who had inspired me to write this story of the real-life Mi’kmaq berry picking families, and of a fictional child who goes missing and changes the course of two families forever. Now I want to invite you to “come to” Mi’kma’ki (Atlantic Canada and a small area of Quebec) with me, and meet some of the artists whose work is essential to our culture.

Ashley Sanipass grew up in an artistic family, learning basket-making and beading from her grandmother and Auntie. She always created, but it wasn’t until she had a son that she realized she wanted to teach others. She now works with children from preschool through high school, and has taught over 1300 students traditional Mi’kmaq culture and art. She also started an online business to bring her community’s crafts to the whole world.

Sandra Racine comes from a large family of Mi’kmaq people who are fluent speakers of their traditional language, but she didn’t learn basketmaking until adulthood. She says “I was raised by a very strongheaded woman” and her mother told her “if you can master something, you’ll never be hungry” which stuck with her as she learned her craft. She uses the tools her uncle once used and studies antique baskets made by her ancestors. She says that when she’s stuck on a piece, a family member will come to her in a dream and guide her. From my own community of Glooscap First Nation, there is a long tradition of basket making, some of which can be seen in a new book, called The Art of Mi’kmaq Basketry.

And while Maud Lewis is not Indigenous, she’s a beloved folk artist and a Nova Scotia icon. If you’ve read The Berry Pickers, you’ll see how her influence is woven through the book. She painted colorful landscapes, flowers, and animals, and her best known work was her own house, painted inside and out, which inspired several pivotal scenes. An interpretation of a painted cabin from the book can be seen in some Barnes & Noble stores this month.

Thanks for reading!

Amanda