Indigenous Women's Journey

The lid of the box is divided into four panels which depict the movement of an Indigenous woman throughout her life - as an infant, as an adolescent, as a woman, and as an elderly woman. In each, other clues about what is important in that stage of life is evident. In the infant panel, the child is secured in a cradleboard and laid down gently to rest. Adolescence shows a girl out in her environment, hair flying and carefree. As she ages to a mature woman, she is pictured preparing food for other people who stand around her. In old age, she is depicted as strong and fierce, possibly speaking to a large group of people, perhaps teaching as Walker-Keshick says this is a very important responsibility for Elders (MacDowell and Reed 1995).