About Our Name
“For thousands of years the Anishinabek have been using a Red Ochre paint called Onaman. It is made from red ochre, animal or fish fat, and other ingredients such as urine and duck or seagull eggs. These are cooked together on a low heat. The longer you cook the paint the redder it becomes. In the language the word “Onaman” refers to the action of thickening something. There are many types of Onaman, most of them use types of Fungi, and each of them thickening agents, particularly in the clotting of blood in wounds.” – Isaac Murdoch
We chose our name because we like the parallels between Onaman as a binding or clotting agent used in traditional medicine for wounds as well as within traditional paint and how the three of us will comb
ine our skills for art & land-based community learning, collaborations and community based gatherings that center on art as a way to transfer knowledge of traditional teachings and language. The logo features a canoe symbol as found on rock paintings. The lines represent the three members of the collective in the canoe.
Find out more about what we do.
