Darla Campbell BIOGRAPHY

Darla Campbell is Plains Cree from Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation, SK in Treaty 6 Territory. Darla is a married mom of three boys, has been an LPN for over 10 years, and is an accomplished hide tanner. She currently facilitates with kâniyâsik Culture Camps, which is a family run land-based camp that strives to revitalize Indigenous language, traditions and culture. Darla loves to spend most of her days outdoors with family and moose hides.

opahkêkinohkêw she tans hides is an entire elk hide that has been smoked on one side and left unsmoked on the other, giving the audience the opportunity to see the difference between smoked and unsmoked hide. This piece embodies the spirit of Darla’s practice, rooted in family, community, and sharing. We see pictures of the processes involved in hide tanning, the joy and laughter of this labour and the ways that this work brings people together to share their skills. We often think of art as something created from a mixture of mediums, canvas, paint and brushes for example. But, in this case the medium itself and all that went into creating it is the art. But further, Darla’s entire existence is a part of the art. This work shows us that Darla’s identity is deeply tied to the process of hide tanning. Her family, her daily activity, her means of teaching others and revitalizing Indigenous culture are all connected to hide tanning.

Links:

• Sâkêwêwak First Nations Artists' Collective - Indigenous Joys Artist Residency