Leland Bell BEBAMINOJMAT Lady 1988 Acrylic on canvas 33 x 40.6 cm

Leland Bell BEBAMINOJMAT Family Acrylic on canvas 61 x 45.7 cm

Leland Bell BEBAMINOJMAT The Feast 1981 Acrylic on canvas 122 x 61 cm

The Artist's comments

My art comes from the Three Fires or Midewiwin tradition.  That is what I believe in.  I came to belief through a dream I had about peace.  It was a deeply spiritual experience.  After consulting with Elders I began trying to build my sense of spirituality.  Then I needed to have an Indian name.  I consulted with some Elders and asked them to help me find my name.  I was given the name Bebaminojmat which loosely translates "when you go around you talk about good things".  Then I fasted to prepare my body and mind to talk to the Creator.  This is where my art comes from.

The circle is central to our tradition.  The Creator sits in the East.  Yellow is the colour for that direction; the sacred herb is tobacco; the animal the eagle.  Red is the colour of the South which is the place of all young life; of the little animals; the sacred plant is cedar.  The West is the place of life; its colour is black and the sacred medicine is sage.  All the healing powers come from the North; its colour is white; sweetgrass comes from there; and that is where the sacred bear sits.

The Circle is what my paintings are based on.  The rounded lines are deliberate... what I create is something simple and serene and peaceful.

In this particular painting THE LAST SUPPER, which I call THE FEAST, I put Jesus holding the cup of wine (in our tradition it would be water, the blood of the earth) facing East where the Creator resides.  I have chosen to see him as a healer.  Jesus is bringing healing to the people.  Red symbolizes the people.  He is offering life to everyone in the circle.

The people at the feast are sitting in a circle.  They are talking about life.  The wavy lines at each person's lips represent the idea of how language has a power of its own, of how important it is to communicate.  There is energy coming out of every person.  Words move and vibrate on their own.  Language is alive.

The green represents the mother earth.  The three birds represent the Trinity; they are the messengers of this particular feast.  The yellow floor has been purified.  The sun represents the Grandfather, the Creator.  In our tradition the Grandfather is the symbol of knowledge, kindness and comfort.