Joi T. Arcand: ayâtaskisow

In Plains Cree dialect, ayâtaskisow expresses when one is firmly planted or deeply rooted. Arcand contemplates her place on and in connection to the Great Plains, specifically her family’s farm on the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. Arcand’s investigation of her family history and agriculture spans the reserve period implemented through the Indian Act in 1876 and administered by the federal government of Canada.

Arcand reflects on the intersections between Indigenous history and her own father’s experience as a farmer on the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. Arcand’s ambitious work is informed by personal testimonies, collected over a decade, in relation to her family’s experience with federally introduced agricultural policies in Saskatchewan that set up First Nations people to assimilate into the settler population. Arcand ponders her father’s decision to be a farmer despite the systematic barriers that were set in place nearly 150 years ago to sabotage Indigenous farmers’ success in agriculture. At the same time, Arcand’s ancestors are still deeply rooted in relationship with the land.

During the pass and permit systems of the 1880s-1940s, Indian Agents were deployed to survey and monitor reserves and held a tremendous amount of power over Indigenous farmers, enforcing harsh regulations. The pass system segregated Indigenous people by requiring them to obtain permission from the Indian Agent to leave their reserve. The permit system required written permission from the agent for the sale and purchase of goods. Arcand centres this legacy around her grandfather’s house, located on their property; it is a monument to her family history of survival despite ongoing systemic opposition

ABOUT THE GATHERING THE GREAT PLAINS SERIES

This exhibition is part of the Gathering the Great Plains series—a partnership and program by MacKenzie Art Gallery and Remai Modern that features exhibitions, thoughtful panel discussions, and opportunities for community engagement. Centred on themes of movement, borders, and migration, the series positions the Great Plains as a gathering force—a witness and participant shaped by the stories it holds. Guided by the impetus to bring to light narratives that have long been overlooked, the series centres the voices of marginalized and racialized communities and offers space for reflection, dialogue, and the possibility of renewed relationships with each other and the land.

Gathering the Great Plains is supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.