'Sa'qawei Kisikuik - Ancient Elders' - Acrylic on Canvas - Jorandi Kisiku Joseph Randolph Bowers

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A profound exploration of the Six Sacred Worlds—a cosmological structure that continues to shape the cultural and spiritual life of the People of the Dawn. A raw, ancient quality, as if painted on stone itself - Sa'qawei Kisikuik - Ancient Elders inspires the imagination of worlds beyond.

Collection: Legacy Collection
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 100 x 80 x 2 cm - approx. 39 x 31.5 x 0.8 in.
Year: 2007
Provenance: Has been featured in an international exhibition. Includes a complimentary copy of a published paper detailing the work's scholarly and narrative significance.

Story & Narrative Significance

This work is born from the artist’s time living among Mi’kmaq communities in Mi’kma’ki, during postdoctoral studies and extended visits with Elder and ethnographer Ruth Holmes Whitehead. It is a profound exploration of the Six Sacred Worlds—a cosmological structure that continues to shape the cultural and spiritual life of the People of the Dawn. While its sister painting, 'Mi'kmaq Six Worlds', explores this cosmology with a fluid, blended style, 'Sa'qawei Kisikuik' offers a powerful counterpoint. Here, the focus is on figures rendered with a different tonal palette and a stronger, etched design. This stylistic choice gives the work a raw, ancient quality, as if painted on stone itself. It is a powerful work of documentation and invocation for a collector who appreciates art with deep historical and cultural roots.