This image depicts my clan symbol, Makwa, who has three roles for the clan. Makwa is a protector, teacher, and healer. In this image, man is inside Makwa learning how to be a healer. When man’s training is complete, he will emerge as a healer. This is the fifth step for training of the Ojibwa man on his transformation into a leader for the tribe. The four directions, four seasons, four races, and the four ages of life are represented by the four circles and black spirit lines connect all together.

—Gordon Coons

Gordon Coons is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe of Northern Wisconsin and a descendant of the Ottawa tribe in Michigan. Now living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Gordon is a self taught artist, creating and experimenting with a variety of media including linoleum block prints, paintings, pen and ink drawings, and creations in stone, wood, and assembled sculptures. Although his artwork is more contemporary, each piece portrays a unique view of traditional Native stories or is a record or impression of Indigenous history in North America.