Transcript

Mother Earth, Father sky, Animal relations, All our relations on Turtle Island and the Great Mystery:

Many moons ago, a seer told me that I was the reincarnation of John F. Kennedy. While I do not purport that this is true, I do believe that we are all connected in some way, real or imagined, in this great cosmos. I come to you today, looking back at JFK’s iconic 1961 inaugural address, to Indigenize his words, to look to the future where we all contribute to the common good, to inspire, to change our ways in order to heal Mother Earth and ensure all our well-being into that future.

President Kennedy began by saying: “We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end as well as a beginning—signifying renewal as well as change.”

And I say: Today we see that the past is the future and what once was will be once again.

The end of colonialism is the beginning of true freedom. We are the renewal, we are the one we have been waiting for. With humility and my ancestors beside me, I declare before you and the Great Mystery, this pledge of honour that the peoples of Turtle Island have embodied and held onto since time immemorial.

Turtle Island swims in the world of mystery. We are not gods, yet our collective minds have the ability to create and destroy. We have come to a moment where we can look back at the colonial project and say that human beings were not meant to conquer, murder, rape the land and subjugate their fellow human beings—and planet—in order to gain wealth and power. We now see that the rights of all of us—Mother Earth, the water, the air, the animals, the fish, the plants, the insects—come not from the harmful ideologies we created, but from the Great Mystery that is the unknown.

Kennedy cautioned, “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution […] proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of […] human rights.”

I speak to Mother Earth and the heirs of her future, saying: We do not forget today that we ride on the back of the turtle. Let the peace cry sound loud and clear! From this time, this place, to sisters and brothers in humanity, that the fire of life will now be tended by generosity of the heart and clarity of the mind. Today we celebrate diversity of all beings, animate and inanimate. We affirm all our rights and commit to assuring well-being for all on Mother Earth.

Let it be known that we will always act from a place of empathy and compassion, that we will critically think before acting, and work to help those still lost in the sea of capitalism to change their minds and hearts for the success and love of us all.

As JFK warned, “Remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.”

I go further and say: The end of colonialism is the beginning of true freedom. Join us! For if all of Mother Earth is not free, none of us are free. And remember that yesterday, those tricksters who aggressively sought power at the expense of us all, ended up in the belly of their beast.

In 1961, the new president pledged help to “Those in huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery,” because “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

To all those who are in poverty and strife, I say: we will listen to you, we will seek a way for us all to live in harmony. To do whatever is needed to bring balance to all our intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical well-beings.

To the world of free beings, I say: our diversity unites us. Let us not again let colonialism and capitalism divide and conquer us.

We must not self-destruct, but self-repair, restore, and regenerate the balance that once was our freedom. JFK called the United Nations “our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace.” And I say: We can be the United Nations in love.

So let us all begin again, remembering that the past is our present. Let us seek to embrace all knowledge—traditional and scientific. Together we can heal Mother Earth, renew our relations with the Great Mystery, and celebrate the artful being which is in us all. 

Let us unite to remember the words of Crazy Horse, “One does not sell the land people walk on” and the words of Chief Seattle, “When you know who you are; when your mission is clear and you burn with the inner fire of unbreakable will; no cold can touch your heart; no deluge can dampen your purpose. You know that you are alive.”

Let us will move through time, in time, and in no time we will reclaim our humble and caring selves. We are the beginning and the ends.

Let us learn from the turtle: heal, be wise, let your spirits soar, and be generous in all ways. Together from all directions—North, East, South, and West—let us bang the drum, the heartbeat of the people, to be who we are, to be free, to be one human family that can face the challenges put before us. We can and will do it!

Let us not fear change: Human beings once lived in harmony with our Mother, and we can do it again. Welcome your role as caretakers and stewards. This is our time. Be here and light our camp fires for all to see, for all to believe that there is another way. A way that enlightens us and protects the Mother who sustains us.

And so, my fellow Turtle Islanders: Ask not what your Mother can do for you—ask what you can do for your Mother.

“Today we see that the past is the future, and what once was will be once again.”

Stimson offers a powerful call-and-response to John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Presidential Address, using JFK’s words as a springboard to advocate for decolonization and environmental stewardship. Looking beyond the borders and bounded histories of the United States, Stimson centres Turtle Island and Mother Earth in his speech, reflecting on how generational and ancestral stories of interdependence might shape a freer and more unified future.

Adrian Stimson is a member of the Siksika (Blackfoot) Nation, Treaty 7 Territory, in southern Alberta. Stimson has a BFA with distinction from the Alberta College of Art and Design and an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan. He is an interdisciplinary artist and exhibits nationally and internationally.

He has completed and continues to work on several public art projects including: Bison Sentinels, a memorial to murdered and missing Indigenous women, First Nations University, Regina; Spirit of Alliance, a War of 1812 monument, Saskatoon; Bison Heart, Sweetgrass Bison, and Kowa’pomahkaiks: Animals that Roam the Prairie, Calgary; and Peace, Northern Lights Cemetery, Edmonton. Stimson was shortlisted for The Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan, Ottawa.

Stimson’s performance art looks at identity construction. His Bison paintings are monochromatic, evoking melancholy, whimsy, cultural fragility and resilience. His installation work examines the residential school experience and speaks to loss, resilience, and conciliation. He was a participant in the Canadian Forces Artist Program, which sent him to Afghanistan in 2010.

Stimson received the Alumni of Influence Award in 2020 from the University of Saskatchewan, the Governor General’s Award for Visual and Media Arts in 2018, the REVEAL Indigenous Arts Award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation in 2017, the Blackfoot Visual Arts Award in 2009, the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005, and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003.

ASL Interpretation