Norval Morriseau
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"I paint with these colours to heal. My
paintings honour the Anishnaabe ancestors
who have roamed the Great Lakes for
centuries upon centuries."
“My paintings are icons,
that is to say they are images
that focus on spiritual powers, generated by
traditional beliefs and wisdom.”
Shaman’s Ride
Norval Morrisseau
"I go to the inner places.
I go to the source. I even
dare to say, I go to the
house of invention where
all the inventors of
mankind have been."
Self Portrait
Otter with Michael
"Child Like Simplicity"
Young Ojibway
Indian Man
with Eagle Headdress"
• Born outside of Thunder Bay. He is Ojibway
•A career of nearly fifty years
• His art and its transformations that have earned him the title
shaman artist.
• At the age of thirteen he was given the name Copper Thunderbird
by a medicine woman.
•The Thunderbird is a powerful Anishnaabe (Ojibwa) deity.
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Morrisseau learned Anishnaabe cosmology from
his shaman grandfather, a member of the
Midewiwin religious society,
Christianity from his Catholic grandmother.
He studied his Anishnaabe heritage intensively,
becoming a shaman.
His art draws upon Midewiwin birchbark scrolls,
rock paintings and Anishnaabe decorative arts.
Oral tradition
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His grandfather told him the stories and legends
passed down amongst the Ojibwa people.
As a child Norval began producing images to
illustrate these stories.
He would draw on the sandy beaches of Lake
Nippagon with a stick and let the waves take the
images away.
He was told by some that it was taboo to
illustrate these stories.
His art is like a stain glass window
Norval borrowed from his Catholic roots a style that he was comforatble with
for religious iconography.
Transforming With Grandson was painted in 1990 by artist
and shaman Norval Morrisseau.
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His visions, like ancient taboos
that have turned into dreams
of the future, come to life on
canvas and paper.
They are talismans of the
future and images of respect of
the past.
Sharing his story
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Norval was the first to paint the ancient myths
and legends of the eastern woodlands, stories
previously passed down by the oral tradition.
His art creates a bridge of understanding
between native and non-native cultures
It appeals to a broad audience without
diminishing the integrity of their content.
Woodland or Legend painting
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The artist charted the creative and spiritual journey that
would contribute to his unique style of painting known
as “Woodland” or “Legend” painting, now called
Anishnaabe, of which he is the originator.
His works evoke ancient symbolic etchings of
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sacred birchbark scrolls
and pictographic renderings of spiritual creatures,
Morrisseau “reveals” the souls of humans and animals
through his unique “x-ray” style of imaging:
Artist and Shaman Between Two Worlds 1980
Painting Series – Artist #3
Norval Morriseau: Boy with
Thunderbird Headdress, 19
Norval Morriseau: Family, 19
His Style
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Combining rich colours, he represents inner realities
with strong flowing lines, often indicating spiritual
forces.
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His art expresses his spiritual explorations and aspects of
Anishnaabe culture
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It reflects:
 tensions between Aboriginal cultures and
Christianity,
 shamanism,
 the interconnection between all living things and the
importance of the family