I’ve mentioned before that I’m Native American. My tribe’s Environmental Department had a poster design contest that focused on water. Being from Michigan, water is kind of a big deal for us. I mean, we’re surrounded. There are many things to be mindful of though to keep our lakes and rivers beautiful. The theme was announced as “Nibiish Naagdowen” or “The care of the water”. This was my entry and interpretation of what Nibiish Naagdowen meant to me. I took advantage of many patterns included in Illustrator and tried to incorporate them together. The hands were drawn out using my touchscreen pen as well as the turtle shell which I then duplicated. I wanted to add the symbol of the medicine wheel but I decided to put a little spin on it and made it seem more fluid like a wave. I gave my nod to the state in the reflection of the water in the hands. There is a lot I like about this piece and things I would change but I’m happy with the result. I did not end up winning the contest but my piece will be displayed as an honorable mention on a new tribal website dedicated to the issues of Michigan waterways and lakes. I will be sure to update this post with a link as soon as that website is up and running.
Steven,
Love your entry Niibish Naadowen and thinks its great that you were recognized for honorable mention.
Aunt Connie
Forgive my spelling. I didn’t take the time to check my spelling. I believe Niibish means leaf.
Thank you Aunt Connie! It was a fun project. I did a quick Google search and I think you’re right; “niibish” means leaf. It is a difficult language when you start writing things out. Thanks for taking a look!
I didn’t know you put an entry in! This is great, I really like it.
Yeah, I wasn’t too sure about my chances but I like what I ended up with. Thanks for taking a look! Love ya!