A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity
Every now and then an opportunity falls into your lap that's just too good to be true. Such was the case in the summer of 2019 when I suddenly found myself in charge of painting a ceremonial tepee for Native Child and Family Services Toronto. The tepee was to be set up for the IRSS gathering in July in Nathan Phillip's Square, Toronto. My wife is Director of Holistic Services at NCFS, and they were having trouble securing a First Nations artist in time to get the tepee done. So with the meter running, she offered me up. I'm not First Nations, but I am Metis. However, I had never in my life painted a tepee, and so I must confess to a tinge of wariness as I accepted the job. The agency was most of the way there on the design. It was to incorporate their logo and a cityscape to represent Toronto running along the bottom. I added some wavy lines with stenciled animals as a border and a forested representation of Toronto Islands across from the city. I submit