Carried by rivers, held by land.
The project Carried by rivers, held by land, which began in 2023 and is slated to conclude in late 2026 or early 2027, is a collaborative effort curated by Aileen Burns, Johan Lundh and Tarah Hogue at the Remai Modern museum in Saskatoon, Canada, and Maria Lind, Director of the Konstmuseet i Norr in Kiruna, Sweden.
As one of the collaborations, artist Marianne Nicholson and five more members of Dzawada’enuxw First Nation came to Sweden and Kultivator in August this year to look into forest cultivation systems, and together with us re- learn techniques of processing stinging nettle fiber, showed to us by Anette Johansson from the association ”Nellorna”.
We also visited important and inspiring local cultural sites as Folkessons lada and Lina Studio Lera, as well as had an evening when dr Maria Tengö came to talk to us about her research on land stewardship policies on UN level, developed with indigenous communities.
In 2018, the Dzawada̱’enux̱w First Nation launched the first-ever BC Supreme Court case to extend Aboriginal title to the ocean in their fight against the presence of fish farms in their territory. The land around the mouth of the Gwayi’i River is held by a non-profit land conservation called Nature’s Trust. Nicolson views the conservation’s presence on Dzawada̱’enux̱w territory as “neo-colonial land laundering through philanthropy,” as the conservation acquires land through government grants. Given the historical and ongoing oppressive treatment of the Dzawada̱ʼenux̱w by the Canadian state, Nicolson aims to build international solidarity and opportunities for exchange and learning around issues of land stewardship.
After the stay in Öland, the journey continued to Sapmi and Jokkmokk, where artist Katarina Pirak Sikku introduced us to the beautiful Pearl river, and to the violent history (and present) of the Hydro power stations devastating the rivers and their ecosystems. Our group also met with artists Katarina Spik Skum, Anders Sunna and Jon Thomas Utsi, giving the most sincere and generous exchange. We can not begin to express the gratitude to everyone involved in this, and foremost to Marianne, Dawn, Midori, Char, Millie and Ellie -Thank you for leaving your precious place to make this long travel and letting us see our place and the colonial north of Sweden also through your eyes. We are looking forward to see you again in Gwayi’i already in May for more nettle fiber and resistance art!