Riders Of The Storm

I was a witness to something today that has left me feeling...well, ugly and disturbed. Our little town has maybe @ 1800 or so souls that live in it and as we reside in a traditional land of First Nations People, there is a healthy population of our native folk that make up the population as well. Earlier today when I was in town doing some banking at the C Union, I happened upon two young native girls, perhaps 13 or 14, all of a sudden turning upon each other and whaling the crap out of each other. Not just a push/shove thing, but full on face punching and vicious kicking.   In the 30 odd years of living here, that's a first for me. It was over long before any cop would've been able to attend and the kids scattered like leaves as soon as it was over.
I am finding this hard to fathom. Granted I'm pretty much out-of-sync with the times but still and all it saddens me to see that now we women are falling down to this level of violence. And to see young women particularly is disheartening.
Mind you I've known some pretty savage girls in my youth. One particular one who springs to mind, would wield her skipping rope with such force you would end up with welts.
Maybe this just points out the reality of life as a First Nations girl and that is just more sad to me.
I don't know what else to say about this and, truthfully, it would most likely sound sanctimonious and hypocritical.
I grieve for my sisters.
On a more positive note, the new painting is almost done and I'm right chuffed about it! It's been a bit of a trial but I think the end product is pretty kick-ass. Mind you knowing me I'll be frustrated with it about 1/2 hour after laying down my brush.......but then, that's what keeps you keeping on.


The paintings are from a series titled " Femme Maison " by Louise Bourgeois a titan in the world of feminist art. This series showed the way that we as women were 'branded' by our proscribed lives as 'housewives' not that long ago. I remember one time that I had been listed as 'Housewife' on a census tally and was outraged that the typically misogynist male census taker had so cavalierly treated my assertion that I was an Artist.
How long, Lord, how long.......