Project Description

In Honor of Annie Mae Pictou Aquash , Naguset Eask ( Sunwoman) . 37 years ago the one person who would have passed on this art form to her children and grandchildren was stolen from our family and Nation. Murdered by those who claimed to be traditional warriors themselves, Annie Mae represents many women who are taken in our own communities by our own community members. For 29 years our family waited for justice and in 2004 and 2010 AIM members Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham were tried and convicted for the murder of our mother thru four trials that resulted in 2 convictions, 1 guilty plea and an acquittal. Those who conspired to have her executed lied and blamed the FBI and spun decades of lies to hide the fact that AIM members had murdered one of their own women. These individuals still walk free and profile themselves as advocates for missing and murdered woman while publically supporting her murderer John Graham. I want to thank all of you who worked so hard to give our family the opportunity to set the record straight and to share the truth after decades of lies. My daughter and I both “learned” to bead while doing this project and I wept to think that in a way my mother still managed to “teach ” me how to bead. The circular design is a copy of a Mi’kmaq Petroglyph that represents the “Sun” in honor of my mother Naguset Eask (Sunwoman). The Scroll design is a traditional design used on clothing by the Mi’kmaq and Maliceet. Welalin from Mi’kmaki.

by Denise Pictou Maloney