Professional, community tributes for loss of two artists

“Narcisse, if you met him, he touched your life forever,” said Michelle Thrush at a memorial to honour the lives of Kainai Elder Narcisse Blood, and Michael Green, co-founder of Calgary’s One Yellow Rabbit Theatre.

Blood’s and Green’s lives were taken in a tragic multiple vehicle crash north of Regina on Feb. 10. Two well-known Saskatchewan artists, Michele Sereda and Lacy Morin-Desjarlais, were also killed in the accident, which happened on wintry roads as the group travelled to a school on Piapot First Nation. A fifth person, Morley Hartenberger, also died in the accident.

Thrush, board member, actor and co-director of Making Treaty 7, was among several of the cast members to speak of the loss of the two extraordinary men at a tribute held in their honour Feb. 16.  Blood and Narcisse had worked on the ground breaking production of Making Treaty 7, a contemporary interpretation of the signing of Treaty 7, which gives voice to the Aboriginal people and settlers of southern Alberta.  Blood was cultural and spiritual advisor and Green was founder and the visionary of Making Treaty 7.

Throughout the ceremony, Blood and Green were described as community builders and by the cast of Making Treaty 7, as family.

“We succeed by generously sharing opportunities with everyone….We’re all in it together,” said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Making Treaty 7 was one of Michael’s greatest extraordinary works of art . . . a work of community building to acknowledge our shared history and talk about our shared future.”

Referring to Narcisse as his uncle and mentor, Beric Many Wounds, from Tsuu T’ina Nation said, “We are creating stories for a hopeful future, a future that puts aside all the violence and degradation that was. The work we did with the MT7 family was bringing us to a place of shared humanity.”

Despite the unfathomable loss, the MT7 family is determined to carry on. Many Wounds said, “We are all treaty people. We must continue this work.”

Thrush said that the most beautiful part of the Making of Treaty 7 was listening to the Elders Green brought together and seeing their stories translated to art.

“Narcisse Blood was an amazing soul,” she said. “We listened and we cried and we laughed and we shared stories held deep within this land.”

No tribute to Blood would be complete without acknowledgement of his trickster side.

“One of the coolest things he brought into my life every day was humility and jokes,” said Cowboy Smithx. “We have a long road ahead of us. MT7 is gearing towards a huge show in 2017. We need the community to rally.”

Blood was remembered by his Kainai community as a true Niitsitapi, a gifted educator, compassionate and dedicated to Kainai history and cultural teachings, an artist, and a film maker. Blood served on his band council in the 1990s and was an advisor on cultural exhibits and history. He taught at the University of Lethbridge, the International Indigenous Studies program at the University of Calgary and was co-founder of the Kainai Studies program at Red Crow Community College.  Most significantly, he is remembered for teaching others the meaning of being human.

Photo caption: Michael Green and Narcisse Blood: over 1,500 people gathered to share collective sorrow and pay tribute to the artists at Calgary’s Jack Singer Concert Hall.