The narrator recounts a childhood experience where their mother taught them how to draw simple expressions. This seemingly simple act ignited their passion for art. As they matured, they explored deeper and incorporated ojibwe mythology into their works, connecting with their cultural roots despite growing up distanced from it in an urban setting. This connection through art allowed them to understand and embrace their indigenous heritage better, becoming a vital means of personal and cultural expression.

The narrator delves into the impact of mythology and cultural identity on their creative process. Their art is a blend of contemporary influences and ojibwe mythology, tackling subjects like identity and storytelling. They reference the impact of artists like Patrick Dajarli, whose stylistic choices inspired a liberation from traditional anatomical accuracy, allowing the narrator's artwork to evolve freely. Moreover, they critique historical and contemporary representations of culture, finding ways to address stereotypes through their art.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. mythology [mɪˈθɒlədʒi] - (noun) - A collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition. - Synonyms: (legends, folklore, lore)

mythology is so far fetched that there's no way you could have made it up.

2. ojibwe [oʊˈdʒɪbweɪ] - (noun / adjective) - A member of a Native American people originally located around the Great Lakes regions of the United States and Canada; relating to this people or their language. - Synonyms: (Chippewa, anishinaabe, Native American)

I reference ojibwe mythology, which is something that I learned about in my adult years...

3. anishinaabe [əˈniʃənæˌbeɪ] - (noun / adjective) - Refers to a group of culturally related indigenous peoples in what is now Canada and the US; also refers to their language and culture. - Synonyms: (ojibwe, Algonquin, Native)

...storytelling world that exists for the anishinaabe culture.

4. identity [aɪˈdɛntɪti] - (noun) - The qualities, beliefs, personality, looks, and/or expressions that make a person or group. - Synonyms: (self, individuality, character)

I always think about identity, and I'll take the different chunks that would make a character who they are...

5. indigenous [ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs] - (adjective) - Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native. - Synonyms: (native, aboriginal, local)

I based the painting on a historical painting called Washington crosses the Delaware, depicting George Washington as, like, this fearless leader, you know? But if you think about what was happening in indigenous communities, he just seems like a big hamburglar, you know, just like a clown

6. proportions [prəˈpɔːrʃənz] - (noun) - The dimensions or size of different parts relative to each other in a composition. - Synonyms: (dimensions, scale, size)

Dajarli's style was different. You know, it was kind of cubic. He wasn't paying attention to proportions, you know, of the human anatomy...

7. animation [ˌænɪˈmeɪʃən] - (noun) - The technique of photographing successive drawings or positions to create an illusion of movement when the film is shown as a sequence. - Synonyms: (cartoons, motion pictures, moving images)

Painting is just what I know, but I love creating digitally, working on a tablet, animating in animation software...

8. contemporary [kənˈtɛmpərɛri] - (adjective) - Belonging to or occurring in the present. - Synonyms: (modern, current, up-to-date)

It's kind of a mix between, I would say, the things that I like in contemporary, like, current culture, and just, like, a sprinkle of ojibwe perspective...

9. compose [kəmˈpoʊz] - (verb) - To create or arrange elements to form a whole, especially when referring to art and music. - Synonyms: (create, arrange, put together)

You know, like, you would build, like, a robot or Voltron or something. So this mask, you know, with this animal and this suit or dress, you know, with these shoes.

10. perspective [pərˈspɛktɪv] - (noun) - A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view. - Synonyms: (viewpoint, outlook, stance)

...it's kind of a mix between, I would say, the things that I like in contemporary, like, current culture, and just, like, a sprinkle of ojibwe perspective sometimes.

Jonathan Thunder - Good Mythology - In the Making - American Masters - PBS

My mom had to help me in the third grade with a drawing exercise that basically was draw a happy face and draw a sad face. And I remember not knowing how to do it. My mom sat down with me. She saw that I had been sitting there for a while, and she was like, why don't you try this? And she draw two circles, and in one, she put two dots and a smile. In the other, she put two dots and a frown. And I remember my little third grade brain, like, was. My mind was blown to. And I remember thinking, I want to learn how to draw like a great artist. Like, my mom is good.

mythology is so far fetched that there's no way you could have made it up. So it has to come from somewhere, which makes it amazing. Artists have always sort of referenced mythology, like Christianity, which I call white people's mythology. I reference ojibwe mythology, which is something that I learned about in my adult years, because I didn't really grow up with it. I grew up in the twin cities, even though my family, both my parents, are from the red Lake ojibwe reservation, growing up in the Twin Cities, it was more like we were kind of, like, just urban, brown people. I never knew about the living, breathing, storytelling world that exists for the anishinaabe culture. That was something that I was introduced to in my artwork. It was almost like, through my artwork, I became a productive member of my tribe.

Yeah, this is a little spray paint mess that I made a few years back. I always think about identity, and I'll take the different chunks that would make a character who they are, and I'll just, like, build them. You know, like, you would build, like, a robot or Voltron or something. So this mask, you know, with this animal and this suit or dress, you know, with these shoes. Boom. That's who that person is. It's kind of a mix between, I would say, the things that I like in contemporary, like, current culture, and just, like, a sprinkle of ojibwe perspective sometimes, like, ojibwe mythology, maybe my brain just works that way, you know? Like, if there's an image, there's gotta be a story.

He could hear their pounding steps and their shrieks. Nanobuju pushed his legs to the limits of their speed. The stones behind Nanobuju sank, pitching the Wendigos into the water. The Wendigos thrashed the water while trying to stay afloat. But this is story time for Minnow. How about you hang out up here? Is he waking up? Yeah, he's waking up. He loves story time, little guy. I can see him moving around in there.

During the first year of the pandemic in 2020, we were living in central Minnesota, which is heavily Paul Bunyan country. Paul Bunyan is, in my eyes, sort of this character that was created to make the land grab and resource grab that has happened historically in Minnesota and displaced tribes, to make it look noble, to give it a noble face. So on the grave of the giant is the scene of an ojibwe couple harvesting wild rice, which is something that's considered by a lot of people synonymous with anishinaabe and ojibwe identity. And underneath the water is the corpse of pulp onion and bathed the blue ox.

Also, I wanted to give a nod to Patrick Dajarli. He worked on the design for the land o Lakes butterbox. Patrick Dajarli was a member of the Red Lake band of ojibwe, where my family is from. Dajarli influenced me because we had a print of his work in our house when I was a kid. Dajarli's style was different. You know, it was kind of cubic. He wasn't paying attention to proportions, you know, of the human anatomy and proper placement of joints and stuff like that. He was just making art. To me, that was really interesting, and it was freeing. He really kind of just inspired me, you know, to pursue the kind of artwork that I do today.

Painting is just what I know, but I love creating digitally, working on a tablet, animating in animation software, which is mostly for my own amusement. But the paintings themselves sometimes feel like they're moving, and it's just too tempting for me sometimes to not actually make the move.

The lighthouse is actually a large scale painting. I based the painting on a historical painting called Washington crosses the Delaware, depicting George Washington as, like, this fearless leader, you know? But if you think about what was happening in indigenous communities, he just seems like a big hamburglar, you know, just like a clown. You see a woman pregnant, probably thinking about the future, and is the only one in the painting that actually sees the lighthouse, you know, and the stormy waters that they're in.

animation wasn't always friendly to cultures outside of mainstream culture. You know, like, I remember seeing bugs bunny shooting Indians by, you know, like, huge numbers and singing about it. One little, two little, three little Indians, four little, five little, six little engines. Uh oh, sorry. That one was a half breed. These are the cartoons that I was on Saturday mornings. I'd be sitting there as a little kid watching, right.

You know, I like to reference those older cartoons in my paintings, and kind of make them not sacred, make them a little sketchy, kind of grimy. I thought it'd be cool to take three stories that I heard in my travels in northern Minnesota and adapt them. So this is one of the comps from Manifesto beach. Piece. Like, this piece right here is for the Mishu Biju, the great lynx, which is said to be an inhabitant of the Great Lakes, a protector of the water. It's going to be installed at the Minneapolis International Airport. And really excited about how much wall space manifesto is going to take up. It's ultimately like doing a digital mural.

Here you go, Martin. Okay. It's all about the illusion, you know what I mean? It's about the illusion of this thing being a part of that wall. It's about the illusion of this thing, I guess, being a component of that tunnel. Otherwise, it just feels like you're looking at a tv screen. See, right here, we gotta line up those cracks of the animation to match the cracks of the case. I was starting to think we're almost done for the day, but I think that's probably gonna take us a little while.

It's not like I really sit down knowing exactly how it's gonna go. I'm a little nervous about the technical side of figuring that out. I'd imagine it's like jumping out of a plane, you know, like, you just have to jump, and then later you'll find out if your parachute works.

The people that fly that concourse, you know, they fly into northern Minnesota, which is where the seven ojibwe nations are located. And they're probably going to see ojibwe language around, you know, some of the smaller cities up here, and that might prepare them, you know, for what they're about to see.

In the last decade or so, I've been witness to a great movement of contemporary indigenous artwork, and I think it's a sign that culture, you know, evolves and exists in contemporary times, which is what I'm interested in. There's a certain responsibility that I feel to say something about our time, if not to say anything profound, to at least say, this is how it was when I was here. Hopefully, that will leave a better place for my son to stand, you know, when he's my age. And those building blocks will leave a much better place for his kids to stand.

Art, Cultural Heritage, Identity, Innovation, Education, Inspiration, Pbs