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New animated short directed by OCAD U grad Chief Lady Bird

Three Indigenous dancers in colourful attire on green grass, set against blue sky, white clouds and pink design across the middle of the sky.

A still from 'Heart Like a Pow Wow,' illustrated by Chief Lady Bird and animated by bekky O’Neil. (CBC Arts)

Indigenous artist and OCAD U alum Chief Lady Bird has directed her first animated short film, Heart Like a Pow Wow.

The film explores the depths of grief from an Anishinaabe perspective of love and family, by poet and musician Tara Williamson. Viewers are called to witness Spirit as they shift to physical form while embodying the love that precedes grief and inevitably foreshadows it.

The film is currently streaming free on CBC Gem as part of How To Lose Everything, a series of Indigenous animated short films that explore personal stories of loss with all five episodes available in English, French, and the Indigenous language of the writer.

How To Lose Everything is inspired by Christa Couture’s debut memoir of the same name published by Douglas & McIntyre.

Chief Lady Bird
Chief Lady Bird

Chief Lady Bird is Chippewa and Potawatomi from Rama and Moose Deer Point First Nations. Her Anishinaabe name is Ogimaakwebnes, which means Chief Lady Bird. She completed her BFA in Drawing and Painting with a minor in Indigenous Visual Culture at OCAD University in 2015. 

OCAD U interviewed Chief Lady Bird about her latest work, her inspiration, and upcoming projects:

1.What drew you to participate in the series, How To Lose Everything?

I was excited to participate in How To Lose Everything because I love seeing my illustrations become animations; I don't personally have the skill to animate (yet) but I have had the pleasure of collaborating with an animation studio in the past who was able to make my images move, which just like, tickles my brain ya know? I have also very much enjoyed other Indigenous animations and short films that I have seen in imagineNATIVE film festival, and have been generally very excited by the stop motion animations coming out of Spotted Fawn Productions so I guess you could say I was looking forward to dipping my toes into such a fun and innovative sector of Indigenous arts. I felt like this project would open up more possibilities for storytelling in my work, and I just love pushing my work to new levels as often as I can. Thematically this series stood out to me because grief is ever-present in Indigenous life as a whole. Indigenous grief is complex and layered but it is also beautiful and kind, too. I was always taught growing up that I shouldn't fear death or loss because these things are aligned with the natural cycles of life; this is something embedded in Anishinaabe teachings, which has always brought me comfort. So, I guess I was interested in sharing grief through the lens of love and community and bringing a story to life that could give hope to anyone who is experiencing the same type of loss that we bring forth in the film(s).

2. Can you tell us about your animated short, Heart Like a Pow Wow?

Heart Like A Pow Wow was written by Tara Williamson who produced a beautiful poem/song that shares the narrative of a young spirit travelling and dancing into the arms of their ancestors. When I first heard the poem, suddenly all these images started appearing in my mind, and the story boarding and directing came easy. One of the main characters is a grass dancer. We wanted to focus on a grass dancer because they are the ones who trample tall grass to prepare an area for pow wow, ceremony or community gathering. Metaphorically the grass dancer is preparing the grounds for the little spirit to dance and make its journey back to the spirit world.

3.Have you directed animated films in the past?

This is the first animated film I have directed! Which makes it even more special than it already is! Surprisingly it came naturally so perhaps my next step is to learn some more animation techniques. One of the highlights of this process was rotoscoping footage of John Hupfield dancing. This was also the biggest challenge too, though because I had to draw hundreds of poses in a short amount of time. And I also loved collaborating with Cardboard Reality Studio because I was able to say, "hey can you make this thunderbird fly?" or "can you make these turtles swim around the spirit orb?" and they did it! I truly felt like I had a team of folks who are so comfortable in their area of creation, that everything came together intuitively, which I am grateful for!

4. Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in everything. From joy/chaos of having a blended family to the experience of moving back to my rez after a decade of urban life; from my dreams to creation stories; from understanding my sexuality as an Anishinaabe kwe, to the nuances of dismantling purity culture; from Anishinaabe cosmologies to Indigenous representation in contemporary media and pop culture; and everything in between. :)

5. What’s next for you?

Currently I am working on some illustrations for organizations whose goals align with education/accessibility in regard to reading and literacy, for their websites and marketing. I have been loving the magic that can be embedded in illustrations that are geared towards children! I actually have three children's books under my belt already and am currently in the beginning stages of a fourth! This upcoming book is about Paul Bunyan from an Indigenous perspective, basically a humorous retelling that subverts old American tales. It is being published by Levine Querido, which is an independent publisher based in Hoboken. No release date yet, but I'm getting really stoked about it! Also on the horizon: some more vinyl murals, some clothing and even more children's books. I am very excited.