Bryce Many Fingers / Singer (Mano’taanikaapi) is an artist and member from the Blood Tribe (Kainai) in Southern Alberta. Bryce’s mixed media art aims to build an understanding of Niitsitapi culture and history, as well as a relationship to the land.
His graphic style is influenced by Blood Artist Gerald Tail Feathers “Iitsiki’tsaawaawahka (Walks up high)”, and he also takes inspiration from literary works such as, My People, The Bloods by Mike Mountain Horse, and The Ways of My Grandmothers by Beverly Hungry Wolf.
Art Descriptions
Severed Leg, The Moon (2020)
12X12 on Acrylic Paper. Acrylic, Marker, Ink, and Gold Sharpie.
The image is based on a creation story about how the earth came to be and the relationship between the moon, sun, and their children. The artwork focuses on a specific scene in which the moon’s secret lover is found beheaded. Stories about revenge or love often repeat themselves throughout time.
The old people’s children (2022)
Digital artwork, procreate.
The image and name of this artwork focus on the relationship between a child and their parents/grandparents. Even at such a young age a child was always to be treated with great respect and to be seen as an equal with his or her parents/elders. It is through a family’s teachings that encourage and lead a child to become self actualized, or “Niita’pitapi (someone who is completely developed, or who has arrived)”.
Hush (2021)
Procreate.
This artwork focuses on survival skills, foraging, and hunting. In the image, a woman focuses and breathes slowly as she uses her archery skills to stalk and hunt down her meal for the harsher seasons to come. “Hush” is part of a short series called “the scout and the archer”.
Luminesce (2021)
Procreate.
This image was mainly experimental. It marked my beginnings with using digital artwork as a medium during the pandemic and adapting.
Description: In a dream state, a young man dreams about the water dimension. He realizes his connection with both the land and water and chooses to be more mindful of these relationships. In the mix of it all, he also dreams about a future love, a calling, or goal he must work towards.
Maatootookiwah ma Kutoyis (no ears that bloodclot) (2021)
The image is based on an old blackfoot story about a supernatural hero named Bloodclot, or Katoyissa, whose purpose in life was to kill all the monsters who roamed the earth dimension making it safer for the Niitsitapi before eventually returning back to the sky dimension. In the Image, Bloodclot, or Katoyissa, is seen walking towards a dark and unsafe reality.
Check out Bryce's Instagram here!