ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the reclaiming of the concept of abstraction from colonialism and European modernism. Baerg asserts that abstraction is at the core of Indigenous customs and cultures. Rooting the discussion in his own Cree Métis culture, and his art practice, Baerg theorizes Indigenous abstraction as fundamental to Cree language, epistemology, and cultural teachings. Baerg uses the specific example of Cree syllabics—symbols used to denote single words that envelop profound concepts. He elucidates how Indigenous abstraction both predates and cannot be subsumed by European modernist or western art historical notions of abstraction.
