Saskatchewan French, Métis artist makes beaded medallion for Aquaman actor Jason Momoa
CBC News | January 05, 2023
Categories: news
Christine Tournier incorporated Indigenous, Hawaiian imagery into gift
Louise BigEagle · CBC News · Posted: Jan 04, 2023 4:11 PM CT | Last Updated: January 5
A Saskatchewan beadworker got an exciting opportunity to showcase her artwork.
Christine Tournier was asked by good friends to make a beaded medallion as a gift. She knew it was for someone big, and it turned out to be famous actor Jason Momoa, known for his role as Aquaman, among others.
Tournier is from St, Louis, a community in Saskatchewan founded by Métis people. She started her art-to-wear business SS River Designs to showcase her French and Métis culture.
She aspires to connect people to art, culture and heritage through fashion.
Tournier's friends had a chance to meet Momoa through a TV show called See. Her friend Clint Rudderham, who is partially blind, was chosen to act on the show in Toronto.
- Métis beadworker announced as Regina's first Indigenous artist-in-residence
- Winnipeg artist's Métis beadwork highlights new collectible silver coin from Royal Canadian Mint
Clint's wife Colleen Rudderham saw it as an opportunity to gift Momoa with something unique that would represent her Indigenous culture. She asked Tournier to make a custom beaded medallion.
The three of them came up with a design that would represent Indigenous cultures and even showcase Hawaii, where Momoa comes from.
"The turtle is part of Indigenous teachings about the land and earth, and there's an eagle, a teepee," Tournier said. "Then there was a flower native to Hawaii and a rainbow."
The beaded medallion took Tournier several days to complete, but she was happy with the result.
She was particularly excited to make something for Momoa, because not only did the TV show — which is about a future where everyone is blind — hire partially blind or blind actors, but it worked with blind consultants, a move she found meaningful.
Not only were her friends allowed to gift the medallion to Momoa in person, but they let Tournier know how happy the Hollywood star was to receive it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CBC Journalist
Louise is a journalist with CBC Saskatchewan since September 2022. She is Nakota/Cree from Ocean Man First Nations. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Regina in Media, Arts and Performance.
