“Art has the power to connect the people of Gatineau and the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community to the history and culture of the land,”
“This sculpture challenges us to think about the spiritual connection to the land and water from the beginning of time.”
Simon Brascoupé
Anishinabe Artist
Simon Brascoupé is an Anishinabe artist practicing in community-based or community-engaged public art. This sculpture first emerged from elders of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg who wanted a monument that represented family, women, animals and canoes. Connecting the viewer to the sacredness of the land through art is my first obsession. Humans have become alienated from the land, so Art has the power to reconnect us with “who we are as human beings.”
The Kitigan Zibi community is pleased to have been involved in designing Place Abinan. This site is deeply meaningful to the Algonquin Nation, and we hope it will draw attention to the history of our ancestors and of this territory, and make people more aware of it.
I am proud today to be taking part in the inauguration of Place Abinan in the company of representatives of the Kitigan Zibi community. I consider the joint process that led to the design of Place Abinan a wonderful step in the reconciliation of our two communities. This site not only has tremendous historic significance, but now symbolizes the friendship uniting Ville de Gatineau and the greater Algonquin Nation.