visual artist & conservator
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the clay project

The Clay Project started as a discussion between visual artist Beth McCubbin and aboriginal youth worker Kateri Miles, from Minwaashin Lodge in Vanier, Ottawa. The intent of the project is to offer free clay workshops to Ottawa's Aboriginal Community, to celebrate Community through the creation of a Public Artwork, and as a positive way to be involved in the Canada 150 celebrations.

Once permanently installed, the mural will be accompanied by a plaque to celebrate all Indigenous Peoples in 2017. It will distinguish this time in history as Year One of Reconciliation in Canada and commemorate our present and future as a Proud Strong Diverse Nation.

The mural is presently composed of 80 tiles made by over 75 participants...and still growing...

ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖓ

One tile at the Woman's Gathering was made by a lovely Inuit woman, who very carefully scripted her tile and told me what the beautiful Inuktitut syllabics meant. Unfortunately I stupidly lost the piece of paper where she had written down the translation...So, after much research on-line and two great sites, here and here, I figured out that ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ or ᐊᕐᓀᑦ means women in Inuktitut, in Latin script 'arnait'. (This is the plural form, 'arnaq' being woman, the singular form)  ᐃᓄᐃᑦ means Inuit, in Latin script 'Inuit' (much easier to figure out!) But sadly I couldn't figure out what ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖓ means, in Latin script it translates literally into 'katinninga' but I can't find the meaning of this word anywhere. I remember the woman who crafted the tile telling me the syllabics meant something like 'Inuit women gathering' but she hesitated as if she knew it wouldn't be easily looked up...based on this I did find that 'katinngajut' ᑲᑎᓐᖓᔪᑦ (very similar in my ignorant opinion) means group; 'a collection of elements that can be treated as a whole' or 'a (usually) small group of people who perform music together'. So, as far as I am concerned, I did remember correctly what the beautiful, very smart woman said:  Inuit Women Gathering 

Inuit Women Gathering

Inuit Women Gathering

Beth McCubbin