Exhibition Statement
Kisi-amaliteket Wklusuaqnml
Ni’n teluisi Gordon Sparks, Nkiju’em tley kopitk, Muinaq wetapeksit njijaqamij, weskwijinuiap Turtle River aqq no’kmaq telui’tupnik plamuaq, etlikwey Winpekijuik aqq nike’ wiki Kjipuktuk, No’pa Sko’sia. Eltuann amaloqsasikl wsiskwe’l apoqnmuikl kwilm ta’n weni, telita’si, teleyi aqq teli-ktlamsitasi aqq nikanawti’kmuikl me’ anku’- kina’masin kjijitaqn aqq nsituo’qn etek L’nue’l a’tukwaqnn, tetpiaqewe’l, wilu’ew aqq L’nui-mpisunn.
Te’s wsiskwey wejiaq a’tukwaqn, aqq keknue’k aknutmaqn wjit ta’n tel-we’jituas, temasqite’map aqq amaloqsmap wije’wm ta’n telimk aqq jiksitmumk ta’n te’s wsiskwey teluek. Tetpiaqewey etek wije’wmumk ta’n tel-panpalikatmumk wsiskwey aqq kaqapija’tumk kulaman msit wen nmittew aqq etek ta’n teli-ilpalikatmumk se’k app l’kitasiktn. Iknmakwey tel- nmitu koqoey pema’lik wjit teli-melkuktm siawa’tun kis tliaqsip sa’q aqq tan teliaq kiskuk ewe’wm amalitaqnm. Ketlamsitm wije’tikl amalitaqn aqq a’tukwaqnminal. E’tasiw wsiskwey eltu weskumik aqq nikanawti’kmuik, te’s kmu’j mekink weskumit, telimik siawi-amaloqsawen aqq pana’tuan wjijaqamijuaq kmu’jk ewe’wkik kulaman msit wen wji-kina’masitew ta’n nemitoq ula ntlukwaqn. Elmi-kespiaq ula kmu’jk wskuma’tita kniskamijinaqi’k amalitaqn- iktuk aqq amalaknutmamk L’nui-iktuk kiwto’qiw kepme’kl nu’te’nmaqnn. Ntlukwaqn teli-amaloqsman wsiskwe’l kaqamikl wjit telo’lti’tij L’nu’k aqq mlkuktasiktn tel-klo’tmumk telo’ltimk, pile’l tetpiaqewe’l, a’tukwaqnn aqq mawio’mi’l ika’tumkl wutann aqq mawi-apoqnmatimk.
Artist Statment
My given name is Gordon Sparks, my clan mother is the beaver, clan spirit animal the bear, born from the Turtle River, and the salmon is our clan totem, raised on Pabineau band first nation, now living in Halifax N.S. Canada.
Through the traditional hand-carved wooden mask, I am on a vision path that is guiding my mind, body, and spirit to seek knowledge and wisdom of the Mi’kmaq peoples stories, traditional ceremonies, traditional food, and medicine. Each mask that I make is from a traditional story, and has a personal story on how I was guided to find the tree, take its life, and carve the spirit out of the wood for all to see, and listen to what the mask has to say to ears that need to hear it. There is a ceremony involved for each mask when woken up to be put on a wall for people to see, and put to sleep in a box to be transferred to one place to another. The vision I have been given guides my passion, and desire to record the past and present, with three dimensional form. I strongly believe in three dimensional forms and storytelling. Each mask speaks to me, guides me, and each tree that is chosen speaks to me to continue to carve the spirit of the wood, to be shown to all people of the land. In the end the spirits of the trees will speak of our ancestors, through three dimensional form, and storytelling around the sacred fire, the language of the land. My work as a traditional hand-carved wooden mask maker represents tradition for the Mi’kmaq people, to guarantee the preservation of traditional values, new ceremonies, oral storytelling, and the gathering of people to share in life stories together as a community.