Video - National Aboriginal Veterans Monument (youth version) – Decoding ART - Heritage Monuments
Transcript of National Aboriginal Veterans Monument
[Canadian Heritage signature]
Narrator: "This capsule is presented by Canadian Heritage."
[Noel Lloyd Pinay, First Nations artist, his hand in the mouth of the sculpture of a bear]
Narrator: "This monument was created by First Nations artist Noel Lloyd Pinay."
[The bronze sculpture]
Narrator: "It's a tribute to the First Nations men and women who have fought in wars and peacekeeping missions. Did you know that the animals in this sculpture are very symbolic?
In Aboriginal cultures, animals have great significance; they are seen as spirit guides to help people and give them courage. These spirit guides symbolize qualities that inspire people."
[Close-up of the different components of the sculpture]
Narrator: "For example, the elk: it uses its hoofs as snowshoes when it's in the snow and as paddles when it's in the water. It is also able to detect danger and can warn the others in its herd by emitting a — let's say, uh, special — odour.The buffalo is able to very quickly change direction when it is running; it can even jump. It's also a very good swimmer.The wolf has a highly developed sense of smell (sniff sniff sniff), which helps it find food easily. But its main quality is related to its family values. The bear is very strong and powerful, but it's mainly because of the bear's healing powers that the artist decided to include it on this monument.
And did you notice how big it is? It is HUGE! The artist made this bear sculpture life-sized. I'm just happy that it's only made out of bronze.
With its wings spread wide, the thunderbird seems to be protecting the figures below it. This bird is admired for its hunting abilities, as its keen eyesight enables it to see everything from high up in the air. Notice that the wings form a ‘V’, which symbolizes victory — of peace over war."
[Canada wordmark]
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