the artists will give us our spirit back

There is a quotation attributed to Louis Riel that has stayed with me:

“My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back.”

The historical source of these exact words is uncertain, but the sentiment carries an important message.

Art is more than decoration. Artists preserve history, culture, stories and memories. They challenge authority, question injustice, give voices to people who aren't being heard, and help us imagine a different future.

Artists remind us who we are.

There is a particular significance to this quotation in Métis history and cultural revival. Art, storytelling, language and cultural expression can help reconnect generations and restore a sense of identity.

I have a complicated personal relationship with this part of history. My own family research has taken me down some unexpected paths. I've spent years digging through records, following names and trying to understand my ancestry. My family connections include the Poirier and Enos families. My great-grandmother was Mary Ann Poirier, and family history led me to Joseph Poirier, who reportedly wore the Métis sash.

I've also experienced lateral violence from people within the Métis community. I was told by one woman that I could only use a lowercase 'm'. Experiences like that can make you question whether you even want to claim a connection that you've spent years researching.

I don't claim an identity I cannot establish, and I've stepped back from claiming one altogether. But nobody can take away my curiosity, my family history or my right to learn about where my ancestors came from.

And that brings me back to artists.

We are living through another enormous cultural shift. Social media platforms are harvesting content, Meta scraping is raising serious questions about consent and ownership, and AI is changing the relationship between creators and their work.

Our photographs, paintings, writing, stories and ideas have value.

What happens when the very platforms that gave independent artists a voice begin using that creative work in ways we never intended?

Perhaps it is time to reconsider our relationship with the internet.

Perhaps we need to disconnect for a while, reclaim our creativity, make our work privately, support independent artists, share stories in person and rediscover the value of making something simply because it matters.

Art doesn't need an algorithm to have meaning.

It doesn't need millions of views to change someone's life.

And it certainly doesn't need permission from a social media company to exist.

The artists will give us our spirit back.

Maybe that is what we need to remember right now.

Reflective Questions

Who owns our creativity once we put it online?

Should our photographs, paintings and writing be used to train AI without our permission?

What happens when algorithms decide whose voices get heard?

Are we losing the human connection that once made art meaningful?

Could stepping away from social media help us rediscover our creativity?

How do we preserve stories and histories that might otherwise disappear?

Can art bring people together when politics and institutions divide them?

What would you create if you weren't worried about likes, views or algorithms?

#FightBackWithArt #WarriorUpWithArt #ArtistsMatter #ArtIsResistance #LouisRiel #MétisHistory #CreativeFreedom #StopDataHarvesting #SupportIndependentArtists #WaterIsLife