dreaming of caribou

Image courtesy of Matthew Hollett

Melissa Tremblett

dreaming of caribou, 2025

Site-specific structure with plexiglass, aluminum and wood

Melissa Tremblett is an artist of Innu and English heritage from the community of Sheshatshiu, Labrador, currently based in Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk territory (Bay of Islands, Western Newfoundland).

Tremblett started incorporating elements of Innu caribou coats into her practice in 2017. Caribou is a sacred animal to the Innu and, as a form of symbolic exchange, hunters and shamans would wear painted coats made from caribou hide.

The coats were painted by women with designs that came to the hunter in his dreams, visual interpretations in non-figurative forms. These coats activated bonds between the hunters and the caribou for one hunting season. Afterward, the jackets would be hung outside to thank the Caribou Master for a successful hunt. 

The motifs on the coats symbolically represent humility, gratitude, and respect for the caribou that were to be provided for the families. Over time, with the influence of European settler clothing, the shape and style of the coats changed, but the motifs are carried forward.

The coats are an incredibly important artform that has been lost because of colonial intervention and forced settlement rendering this integral practice of culture non-vital.

Through her artwork, Tremblett reclaims this knowledge and introduces the designs to others. In dreaming of caribou, she draws design elements from the coats into an immersive structure.

Seen from afar, it interacts with the horizon line, where land, water and sky meet. Inside the structure, viewers are immersed in the designs, encouraging self-reflection and consciousness of the relationship between humans, animals and the land. At night, solar lights illuminate the piece, creating a beacon and symbolic reference to dreamtime.

Commissioned by Bonavista Biennale.

The artist acknowledges support from ArtsNL and the Canada Council for the Arts.