The transfer of knowledge is vital to Indigenous continuance. Colonial narratives imposed on Indigenous peoples flatten individuals and communities into particular clichés - stoic and solemn, strong and silent - that never truly acknowledge their bellies full of laughter and eyes full of joy.

In this dialogue between the artist and his grandmother, language lessons filled with joy and affection reveal the importance of kinship in the journey to fully know oneself.

“The things I learn from my grandmother’s giggle can never be taught inside a classroom.” - Jake Kimble

This film was created as part of the Response: Resonance program I participated in last summer with the Polygon Gallery and am thrilled to finally be able to share it with you all.

Jake Kimble (b. 1994) is a photo-based Chipewyan (Dënesųłıné) artist from Treaty 8 Territory whose practice mainly revolves around acts of self-care, self-repair, and gender-based ideological refusal. By doing so with a sense of humour, Kimble allows the audience to exhale, unclench, and even chuckle in spaces where laughter is often lost.

Kimble currently works on the unceded, traditional and ancestral

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories.

Mahsi Cho Setsuné

Mahsi Cho Nicole Brabant, Serena Steel

Mahsi Cho Courtney Montour, Bracken Hanuse Corlett, & TJ Cuthand

Mahsi Cho Polygon Gallery