This episode was recorded on November 10th, 2021.
Charles Joseph is a Kwakwaka’wakw artist known for his masks, totem poles, and canoes. His work can be found in homes and businesses worldwide. His “Residential School Totem” stands before the Montr…
This episode was recorded on November 10th, 2021.
Charles Joseph is a Kwakwaka’wakw artist known for his masks, totem poles, and canoes. His work can be found in homes and businesses worldwide. His “Residential School Totem” stands before the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for “all Canadians, not just residential school survivors.” It represents Charles’ “reconciliation” and his “story is on the pole.”
Our conversation comes in the context of perhaps "the most significantly substantial discovery to date in Canada”—hundreds of unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Saskatchewan. Funded by the government and run by religious authorities, these schools saw countless cases of abuse and the loss of thousands of innocent lives.
Charles’ carving homepage
https://charlesnativeart.ca
Facebook page
https://facebook.com/charlesjosephnativeart
_______________
Timestamps
_______________
[00:00] Intro
[02:21] Charles’ background
[03:36] Backstory: Jordan’s first non-native friend
[09:59] Tough times at residential school; finding enough to eat
[12:35] Being locked in as punishment
[14:14] Isolation and treatment by so-called Christians; rejecting religion
[16:35] Unmarked graves at Canadian residential schools
[19:29] Jordan asks what could motivate such cruelty towards innocent children
[22:08] Leaving & coming of age
[22:19] Blaming the world
[30:08] Charles describes more of what happened to him at residential school
[34:24] Looking in the mirror
[36:11] His grandparents’ influence
[41:26] Creative process & dreams
[47:08] The spiritual effect of art & culture
[48:03] Carving as a personal church
[49:38] History and cultural significance of specific elements in Charles’ art
[54:36] The 55-foot totem pole sculpture
[01:04:07] Seeking out the meaningful and positive
[01:09:07] The Residential School Totem at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
[01:11:11] Reconciliation
[01:17:26] Accused of racism and welcomed into a new family in 24 hours
[01:20:15] ..
