This story is for anyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong. It is for all those who are hungry for connection.
Stories and circles are tools of healing. They are our bridges and meeting places. In returning to the storytelling ways of our ancestors, we find hope and empowerment within our own courageous stories of transformation. Through our individual stories, we find community.
By sharing our stories, paying attention to our feelings, and listening to other people speak their truths, we come home to ourselves. What does it mean to come home to your self? You trust your decisions, you have confidence in yourself, you don’t compare yourself to others, there is no need for outside acknowledgement, you love yourself unconditionally, you know what your needs are, your reactions are less explosive, and you know how to realign yourself when you come out of balance. Those are the fruits of sharing our stories.
The central theme of hazel’s current body of work is this kinship and the radical inter-connection of all beings, human and more-than human which holds the root of healing.
The origins of this work rest with Spirit Matters in 2007, an experience orchestrated by the Transformative Learning Centre of OISE University of Toronto. The TLC went on to foster a number of the circles, cosmological dialogues, and inter-generational experiences from which the Kinship Flag Project and the PrayerStream Collection began.
We didn’t start off with an intention to make PrayerStream flags per se. There was an intention to create all the things they hold. In the beginning, we followed the threads of community, conviviality, storytelling, mentorship… the impulse to create, the urge to gather folks and make things, and in time, we followed the small voice of the flags…
After these threads became woven together, it was easy to follow them back to their beginnings, and to recognize the measured course which had been taken over years and through gatherings, to arrive at something complete and fresh – The Kinship Flag Project.
Which, of course, is only another beginning.
A 12 year journey and continues (2010 - 2022)
2010 June
3rd Spirit Matters
Making of the very first 2 strands of flags by youth. Youth and Elders three day gathering at U of T hosted by Transfromative Learning Centre, Sketch, Etc
2013 November
Momentum
Making and hanging of the collection of flags
2013 December
Whispering Flags
Gestation of Concept
2014 November
Samadhi Tea House Art Show Hearts of Courage Created
First appearance of Hearts of Courage and Hazel sells all of her paintings
2015 January
Journey of the Sacred Bundle
Hazel moves west with the flags stored at the front of the train with the rest of her sacred items. Flags traveling by train.
2015 March
Wild Salmon Caravan
Flags insist on being a part of the Wild Salmon Caravan community action to honour and bring awareness to the migration of the salmon.
2015 July
Luminosity Meta-Media Festival
Flags hang outside for first time, though they’d been whispering for 1.5years
2015 July
Summer Gathering
The morphic resonance of the flag installation get recognized by Rupert Sheldrake
2015 August
Power of Hope Youth Empowerment Camp
Flags hang outdoors with youth for first time
2015 September
Imagine Festival
Flags hang at their 2nd festival
2015 September
Bear Sanctuary
A few strands hang on blockade to protect bear sanctuary and old growth trees
2016 March-June
Reconciliation in Action
Bear of Reconciliation makes it’s debut at Reconciliation in Action
2016 March
YAIMA Camp Out
First three-day workshop guiding people through flag-making process
2016 June
Sugar Cane Multicultural Event
Flags get invited by Elder to travel to Williams Lake to hang at a multi-cultural event on the Sugar Cane Pow Wow grounds
2016 July
Ashanola IndigenEYEZ Youth Camp
First IndigenEYEZ camp where youth made stencils and the flags hung in the Ashanola Powwow arbour
2016 September
Imagine Festival
2nd Imagine festival, first time on a beach and the whole team attended
2016 September
Soul Revival Shakedown
Neighbourhood small grant supports east side community party and flag installation
2017 June
IndigenEYEZ Glimpse Lake
Another sweet IndigenEYEZ Camp flags hung and flags were made.
2018 June
Revival Festival
PrayerStream Installation holds space on Vashon Island for Revival Festival
2018 July
IndigenEYEZ Camp Hedley
PrayerStream Rocking another IndigenEYEZ camp
2018 December
Gumboot Cafe Art Show
Flags hang alongside Hazel’s Paintings in the famous Gumboot Café in Roberts Creek
2019 March
Teztan Biny
PrayerStream Supports a gathering to raise awareness to Protect Teztan Biny (Fish Lake)that has profound cultural and spiritual importance to the Tŝilhqot’in Nation.
2019 April
Arteles Artist Residency
Some flags join hazel on an ancestral pilgrimage to FInland and new flags emerge
2019 June
SunnyCrest Mall
Three days of flag making in the mall for the mall
2019 June
Deer Crossing the Art Farm
Flags insist on hanging to honour the 10 year anniversary of Deer Crossing the Art Farm
2019 December
REACH Community
Hazel comissioned to make stencil to honour home and beloning based on the input of 80 memebers of the REACH Community Health Centre
2022 October
Art crawl
PrayerStream Installation takes on more structure as it honours the four directions and participates in the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl
Discover More about the Kinship Flag Project
Made By Hands
How do these designs end up on a flag?
What is the technical process of making each of these?