Proud To Be From Turtle Island T-Shirt
$30.00
100% Cotton (Soft Style) Gildan T-Shirt.
Unisex Sizes: Small-3XL
This Turtle Island T-shirt is comprised of two Alex Janvier paintings; the turtle shape is from “Turtle Land,” and the flowers are from “Carrier.”
A portion of the profit from each sale will help fund an upcoming Alex Janvier media show project.
Where is Turtle Island?
Among Indigenous people, Turtle Island is a common name for the land in North America. This is because the physical shape of the land resembles a turtle. Stories from some Indigenous Nations have depicted animals diving in the ocean to grab a piece of land to place it on the back of the turtle.
Turtle Island was rich with natural resources, which sustained Indigenous peoples for millennia. There were so many fish that could fill large willow baskets quickly. People would prepare the fish for themselves and their dogs. Birds were so plentiful that the skies were dark.
We have a spiritual and physical connection to mother earth; we are one with the land. Indigenous people love the land; thus, there was little to no carbon footprint pre-contact. Turtle Island suffers today because of the damage from extracting natural resources for profit. Yet, we all have the responsibility to restore and protect Turtle Island for our future generations.
Trade routes were well established by rivers; Indigenous people travelled even before the fur trade. There were no borders, and we shared the land. Our oral history records all these events.
Turtle Island changed forever when Christopher Columbus got lost while looking for a trade route to India. Hence the misnomer “Indians.”
Still, we are proud to be the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. All people on Turtle Island are welcome to share this pride too.
