Life Cycles 

Norval Morrisseau painted "Life Cycles" using bright acrylics to depict a turtle, fish, and birds. These animals carry deep meaning, as symbols of creation, wisdom, and transformation in Anishinaabe culture. The turtle, or Miskwaadesi, represents Mother Earth and the interconnectedness of all life, a motif echoed through different times in the cross-cultural myth of Gaia. The fish, a source of sustenance, embodies the flow of life, subtly echoing the cyclical nature of existence, much like the Ouroboros found in ancient Egyptian and Greek symbolism. And the birds, soaring between worlds, signify spiritual freedom and insight. Each symbol resurfaces throughout history, constantly reshaped, yet eternally rooted in the human psyche. We see it in ancient mythologies, religious texts, and dreamlike art forms. They appear as primal archetypes that are continually adapted by the collective human consciousness. The circle is unbroken.