We are so pleased to host CATHERINE TÀMMARO (Taǫmęˀšreˀ), a Little Turtle clan, Wyandott/Italian multidisciplinary artist with a practice spanning decades, and her exhibit Yaaʔtayęhtsih yayǫmęʔah (The Daughters of Aataentsic).
Together with author Dr. Kathryn Magee Labelle's book - Daughters of Aatenstic: Life Lessons from Seven Generations - this exhibition forms The Daughters of Aataentsic Project.
The Project
The Daughters of Aataentsic project is a collaborative initiative between eight Wendat/Wandat women from the four modern Wendat/Wandat communities across North America (the Wyandot of Anderdon Nation, the Huron-Wendat Nation, the Wyandotte Nation, the Wyandot Nation of Kansas) and Dr. Kathryn Magee Labelle. The goal was to tell the stories of their Ancestors by highlighting the Motherwork of seven remarkable women across time and space. The result was the book, Daughters of Aataentsic: Life Stories from Seven Generations (McGill-Queen’s Press, 2021) that includes historical case studies of Cécile Gannendâris, Marie Catherine Jean dit Vien, Margaret Grey Eyes Solomon, Mary McKee, Eliza Burton Conley Jr., Jane Zane Gordon, and Éléonore Sioui. Overall, the book concludes that these women successfully countered colonial policies and regimes by sustaining matricentric systems and preserving female leadership over the generations.
The art exhibit, Yaaʔtayęhtsih yayǫmęʔah, is a complement to the book project. A member of the Wendat/Wandat Women’s Advisory Council and an artist with an established relationship with the Ontario homeland, Catherine Tàmmaro has a unique perspective which offers an opportunity to explore the intersections of land, women and dispersal through her Ancestral continuum and her multi-disciplinary practice. The installation provides reflections on changes in politics, spirituality and the overall consequences of colonial attacks to subvert and erase the Wyandot people. It is our hope that these collective aspects honour our work, the women, their Motherwork and placekeeping across the land. Blue Mountain is an iconic site that is an historic and lived space for many communities which identify as Wendat/Wandat and therefore presents the ideal location for this gathering.
I am incredibly grateful to the Women’s Advisory Council for their continued guidance throughout this journey; and to the utrihǫt (Faithkeeper) Catherine Tàmmaro whose groundbreaking artwork shines brightly, not only on the cover of the book, but throughout Yaaʔtayęhtsih yayǫmęʔah.
Dr. Kathryn Magee Labelle | with Catherine Tàmmaro
Grand Opening
October 4, 2025 | 1:00-4:00pm
Join Dr. Kathryn Magee Labelle and Catherine Tàmmaro for a powerful afternoon of storytelling and visual art, celebrating Wendat/waⁿdat women and matriarchal history.
