About Indigenous Christian Fellowhip

For centuries images with text have been a powerful combination for teaching important messages.

The invitation to design images that express life impacting incidents and themes has been a positive exercise for both teaching and therapy.

The creation of images empowers individuals to identify motifs that they may have had difficulty in expressing with words alone.

For many years, posters with images and text were created at Indigenous Christian Fellowship to inspire and encourage community members. The ongoing positive response to both black and white clip art illustrations and artwork along with paraphrased and original text demonstrated the power of this mixed media.

In 2021, Indigenous Christian Fellowship commissioned Larissa Kitchemonia to create 24 images to accompany Indigenous Christian teachings. The selection of the teaching prayers was accomplished through the identification of 24 themes drawn from four sources: two Indigenous and two Biblical. The Indigenous sources were the Tipi Teachings and the Grandfather Teachings. The Biblical sources were the listing of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5 and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12

Text to accompany the images was initially drafted by a number of Indigenous persons including: Michelle Neviadomy, Tiffany Keewatin, Dawn Rossignol, and Lynda Razor. The writers were presented with the 24 images with suggested titles for developing the initial text. On various occasions, their writings were shared with community members for ongoing comments. The initial collaborative draft was edited by Simon (Moccasin) Ash with assistance from Melissa Friday, and Ashley Hayden. During the process and before the final approval the text was reviewed by Indigenous elders including Georgina Cyr and Yvonne Fourhorns.

In 2009, Ovide created paintings illustrating Christian Aboriginal prayers. He painted 11 images on canvas; the series was named ‘Prayers For The Creator’s Children’. The images, accompanying eagle feathers, and text were integrated in shadow boxes similar to the second commission.

The art work and related exhibition and reproduction rights belong to Indian Metis Christian Fellowship (IMCF). Revenue from the sale of reproductions contributes to the cost of the art work and fund raising for the ministry.