'The stronger the language, 文化就越强大”:与奥塞奇族一起保护他们的遗产

Alex Ponca Stock, an artist from the Osage Nation, works passionately on a mural that captures her culture through the eyes of its youngest generation.

As you walk into the studio of nationally acclaimed artists Wendy Ponca and Alex Ponca Stock, 你会立刻感受到两人倾注在艺术作品中的骄傲和激情. 这对母女二人组最近被委托创作了四个大型系列, five-foot-by-eight-foot canvas murals that will be displayed in the Wah-Zha-Zhi Early Learning Academies (WELA) and immersion school within the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. The project is part of the Osage’s ongoing efforts to celebrate and preserve their culture and history.

每一幅壁画都将在未来几十年里讲述这个国家的故事. The students participated in the creation of each canvas, which includes each of their portraits. The artwork also weaves in significant orthography and images symbolic to the Osage culture and each of the districts within the Nation.

“Right now, 当孩子们进入学校, 他们在壁画中看到自己和朋友,” said Melvina Prather, 奥塞奇族社会福利协会的主任.

“随着他们学习文化的进步, the language and traditions, 他们会发现每幅画都有更多的意义.”

“We have words that convey what represents that district in each painting,” Prather continued. “我们也有描绘该地区的丝带作品. 所使用的颜色，都是该地区的代表.”

随着孩子们的成长和进化，壁画的意义也会随之改变.

“As they learn more about their culture and tradition, they will see more in each painting.”

Celebrating the Osage culture

Representatives of TransCanada’s Indigenous Relations team learned about this artwork and its meaning in person during a recent visit to the rolling prairies of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, the heart of the Osage Nation. The team toured the community with representatives from Osage and saw firsthand the cultural programs the Nation has implemented with support from a project community agreement between TransCanada and the Osage Nation.

“在我们最近的访问中看到社区协议的实施是令人兴奋的,” said Nadine Busmann, Sr. 土著关系促进治理和美国.S.

“It gave us the opportunity to be immersed in these programs and to observe the impact they have had on reinforcing the culture, 语言和奥塞奇族的历史.  More importantly, we were able to engage directly with community members and hear firsthand about their challenges as well as their aspirations for their families and the Nation.”

Support for sharing the knowledge of the Nation’s Elders and preserving the history and language for future generations is important to the Chief and to the community.

“我们发现长辈们的教导是正确的. You must have a strong language, you must have a strong culture, 你必须拥有属于你自己的土地. 这是我们建立文化或社会的三大支柱,站熊队长杰弗里说, 他补充说，文化保护对定义他的民族至关重要, 居住在塔尔萨西北部的wah - zhazhi(奥塞奇族).

Approach to Indigenous Relations

At TransCanada, we believe that engaging early and often with Indigenous groups is the key to creating positive, long-term relationships, 比如我们与奥塞奇民族的长期合作关系.

要了解更多全球十大赌博靠谱平台处理土著关系的方法，请阅读我们的 土著关系承诺声明, Policy, Strategy and Guiding Principles, or visit our Indigenous section.