Chicago is, and has always been, an Indigenous place. Dozens of Indigenous communities have long lived on this land, traveled through the many waterways, and gathered at this important place that connects the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River watershed through the Chicago portage. In this piece, Myaamia artist Megan Sekulich uses shapes reflecting Great Lakes embroidery style and beadwork to highlight the importance of waterways and the many Native plants and animals that have long been significant to people Native people in this area. Megan’s description is below:

Using the waterways of šikaakonki ‘Chicago’ and northern Illinois as an outline, the space between each river is filled with native flora and fauna, many of which are culturally significant to myaamiaki ‘Myaamia people’.

Animals you may recognize in the image include:

• cecaahkwa: ‘sandhill crane’
• mihšihkinaahkwa: ‘painted turtle’
• akaawa: ‘walleye’
• anikwa: ‘gray squirrel’
• waapanswa: ‘rabbit’
• paapankamwa: ‘fox’
• aahkapakilaata: ‘sunfish/bluegill’
• moohswa: ‘white-tailed deer’

Plants you may recognize include:

• wiiphšalwi: ‘elderberry’
• apahkwaya: ‘cattail’
• pyaakimini: ‘persimmon’
• miincipi: ‘corn’
• oonsaalamoni: ‘bloodroot’
• šikaakwa: ‘wild spring onion’

The organic shapes seen throughout the piece, weaving and flowing around the rivers, plants, and animals, reference floral patterns seen in Great Lakes embroidery style Native beadwork.

Megan also created a linework-only version of the graphic as a coloring activity, which you can download here.