Canadian Artist Kent Monkman: Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, The Emergence of a Legend

False truths received by Indigenous people about their own history.

For decades, the singular and provocative paintings of native Cree artist Kent Monkman have featured an alter ego, a shape-shifting genderless being named Miss Chief Eagle Testickle. In Monkman’s paintings, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle appears in his work as a supernatural being that floats in and out of his scenes in order to subvert the accepted European or colonial gaze on indigenous history and to challenge the notions received by Indigenous people about themselves and their own history.

Monkman’s use of this LGBT-ish alter-ego allows him to assemble hundreds of stories in an almost fairy-tale cut out style in a way that opens up discussion about truths and perceived truths that can be otherwise painful for Indigenous people and uncomfortable for non- indigenous people.

Fig. 1  Kent Monkman by Nathan Denette, Canadian Press

Fig. 2 Kent Monkman, Bacchanal, 2020

"Neutral Zone"

By creating a framework of erotic playfulness that can be seen as a kind “neutral zone”, he creates works that address historical legacies that can be read by both sides without accusing or pointing fingers. It is often cartoonish, burlesque and ribald, which can sometimes be seen as undermining the seriousness of some historical abuses but it also positions Monkman’s work in a post-modern reality that elevates his work beyond being disparagingly thought of as native art. It is not native art. It is art made by a native or indigenous artist. It’s an important difference.

Fig. 3 Kent Monkman, The storm, 2021

Fig. 4 Kent Monkman, Lost love, 2021

A native artist

Kent Monkman is a prominent interdisciplinary Cree Nation visual artist who has been in the spotlight for decades. A member of Fisher River Cree Nation in Treaty 5 Territory (Manitoba, Canada), he now lives and works between New York and Toronto Canada. Monkman and his long-time collaborator Gisèle Gordon, a writer and media artist who moved from England to Canada as a child have produced  transformational works of true stories and imagined histories that remake our understanding of the land called North America. Monkman’s short film and video works, collaboratively made with Gordon, have screened at festivals such as the Berlinale (2007, 2008) and the Toronto International Film Festival (2007, 2015).

Fig. 5 Kent Monkman, Study for Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and Thalia, 2024

Roots of Post Modern Indigenous art

Monkman’s work is rooted in a new openness with regard to Indigenous issues both social and cultural in Canada. In 2008, confronted with the reality of over a century of Indigenous abuse, the Canadian Government established The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada  which investigated the 150-year history of Residential Schools where native children were schooled after being separated from their native communities across Canada. It documented experiences of survivors, families, and communities and addressed the harmful, ongoing legacy of abuse and forced assimilation. The commission released 94 Calls to Action to advance reconciliation. The process continues today, with a focus on implementing the Calls to Action. It is hoped this will foster a renewed, respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. 

Fig. 6 Dayna Danger, Mask, 2016

Fig. 7  Kent Monkman, Beaded Moccasins, 2007

Continue reading in Premium and discover more about the contemporary art of Indigenous people, Monkman's unique unique literary collaboration with Gordon, why Monkman arguably is Canada’s most important living artist, many more paintings and MORE...!!

Click HERE for an article on the art of Gori Mora: When the Surreal Meets the Queer

Let us know your thoughts about Monkman's art in the comment box below..!!!