About the Artist

Founder of Medicine Bear Arts | Turtle Island Artist | Cultural Storyteller | Social and Environmental Advocate

Jadeon Rathgeber, known as Maskihkîy-Muskwa (Medicine Bear), is a Cree artist, storyteller, and advocate from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, born and raised in a large northern Manitoba First Nations community.

 A proud descendant of Wapuskogimaw (The White Bear Chief) and Atim-moyan (Dog Robe), Jadeon carries the lineage of over 18,000 living relatives today, a testament to the enduring strength and interconnectedness of Turtle Island’s original peoples.

Jadeon comes from a long lineage of artists, knowledge keepers, and caretakers of language and history.

 His life is marked by profound transformation, rising from a past shaped by gangs, addiction, and incarceration to reclaim his cultural roots through art, ceremony, environmental and social justice work.

In 2006, Jadeon left behind street life and began a profound healing journey through a carving apprenticeship, guided by his mother, the caretaker of the ancient art form of Birch Bark Bitings. He immersed himself in carving and designing Pacific Northwest Coast–style art under the mentorship of Gyuauustees, a carver of Nuu-chah-nulth, Skwxwú7mesh, Snuneymuxw, and Kwakwaka’wakw heritage. Welcomed into their home and given a place to stay, Jadeon embraced the art as a ceremony, marking the true beginning of his path to healing.

Jadeon became deeply rooted in First Nations history, shaping his life into a journey of cultural survival, personal redemption, and awakening to the systemic injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples. During his time of incarceration, he devoted himself to carving, learning, and healing, emerging with an unwavering commitment to truth-telling, cultural preservation, and advocacy for the people of Turtle Island.

For over two decades, Jadeon has visited First Nations communities, sharing his hand-carved jewellery, stories, and teachings rooted in authentic Indigenous traditions. Among the most cherished parts of his journey is meeting the beautiful people and Elders who have welcomed him and his work with open hearts. His signature piece, Keeper of the House of All the Eagles, created in 2009 with artist Valodia Chernikoff, stood for years in the Kamloops Residential School, honouring his late sister Sheena Rae Sinclair and the many lives marked by the residential school system.

His work — spanning jewellery, sculpture, and large-scale public art — uplifts matriarchal worldviews, environmental stewardship, and cultural resilience, speaking directly to the urgent social, environmental, and spiritual crises facing Turtle Island and humanity at large.

Jadeon’s journey has taken him across front line movements, including the Freedom Trucker Convoy, where, though he did not agree with all participants’ beliefs, he ensured the Indigenous voice was present and the struggles of his people were acknowledged. His work extends into grassroots community education projects that challenge stereotypes, colonial myths, and cultural erasure. Guided by his mother’s influence and deep connections with Elders, youth, and fellow artists, Jadeon’s practice stands as a living testament to survival, remembrance, and Indigenous resurgence.

In addition to his artistic work, Jadeon spearheaded the Kikiwak Project, a visionary initiative focused on creating a sustainable building and land development education center. Launched with its dedicated website, the goal with this project was to address the First Nations' housing, food, water, and health crises while offering scalable solutions for Indigenous communities and beyond. By combining ancient knowledge with cutting-edge sustainable building techniques — including aircrete structures designed to withstand the elements and reduce environmental impact — Jadeon’s work proposes an economic development model that could help avert the looming extinction event threatening humanity. His vision centers on allowing Mother Earth to heal by integrating sustainable, local, and regenerative systems that restore balance between people the land and animals.

Through Medicine Bear Arts, Jadeon continues to offer fine jewellery and heirloom pieces crafted with uncompromising quality and traditional knowledge. The studio operates from Sinixt Territory in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada, and welcomes custom commissions, organizations' logos, cultural collaborations, and meaningful conversations around decolonization, drug and gang prevention talks, and the future of Indigenous-led solutions.

One of the most meaningful chapters in Jadeon’s journey was his trip to Europe, where he travelled to engage with the United Nations and participate in international dialogues on Indigenous rights, cultural survival, and environmental justice. This trip was made even more powerful by the presence of his daughter, Desiree (She Who Dances With The Butterflies), a gifted traditional fancy dancer, who accompanied him and brought the heartbeat of Turtle Island to the global stage. Together, they carried not just their personal stories but the spirit of their ancestors, representing the resilience, beauty, and living strength of their people before the eyes of the world.

Jadeon walks forward carrying not only his tools and teachings, but the prayers of his ancestors and the voices of generations yet to come. His life’s work is more than art — it is resistance, remembrance, and a fierce call for humanity to return to truth, to land, and to the sacred responsibility of protecting all that gives life.

 

 

In 2010, just before the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Jadeon helped curate an art show called Make It Real to expose the ongoing atrocities on Turtle Island that were being hidden behind the polished image Canada was presenting to the world. While the Olympics showcased celebration and unity, the art show aimed to confront the truth and ensure the world saw the reality behind the spectacle.

       

 Jadeon Working with legendary Nisga'a Master carver Norman Tait

   Des Les Tipis, Broulon,

               France 2014             

Munich Germany 2014

 

 Desiree Dancing Ornans France 2015 with 20 other champion dancers and Northern Cree Drum group

 

               Desiree With " Return Of The  White Raven"  United Nations Geneva

 

 

                                   

Group of Artists with UN official

 
In 2015, Jadeon co-founded the Peaceful Warriors Unite collective with Digit-Al from Frankfurt, Germany. They wanted to bring attention to the people about social and environmental justice issues through visual arts and spoken words.

 

 

Past Exhibits

Major Events, Exhibitions, and Milestones

✅ 2006–2009

• Began carving and apprenticing under Pacific Northwest Coast carver Gyuauustees (Nuu-chah-nulth, Skwxwú7mesh, Snuneymuxw, Kwakwaka’wakw) after leaving gang life and reconnecting with family.
• Focused on healing through cultural art, ceremony, and personal transformation during incarceration.

✅ 2010

• Co-organized “Make It Real: N’D’N Artists and Action” exhibition, Downtown East Side Center for the Arts, Vancouver — timed one month before the Winter Olympics, focused on the contrast between real Indigenous culture and colonial myths.
• Exhibited at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Aboriginal Pavilion.
• Participated in the Vancouver Paralympic Games Cana-Made Exhibition.
• Participated in Klahowya Village, Stanley Park, Vancouver, Summer 2010.
• Exhibited at Circle Craft Market, Vancouver Convention Centre, November 2010.

✅ 2011

• Returned to Klahowya Village, Stanley Park, Vancouver, Summer 2011.
• Used jewellery sales to travel and raise awareness about environmental destruction, colonialism, and resource exploitation across Canada.

✅ 2013–2015

• Extensive European Tours with daughter Desiree, a traditional fancy dancer, participating in over 20 cultural events, art shows, and educational engagements focused on First Nations dance, history, art, and culture.
• Des Les Tipis, Brulons, France, 2014.
• Munich, Germany, 2014.
• Ornans, France, 2015.
• United Nations Exhibit in Geneva, hosted by the Global Alliance Against FGM, February 2014 — speaking on the shared experiences of oppression and exploitation between First Nations women and African women.
• Co-founded Peaceful Warriors Unite Collective (2015) with Digit-Al from Frankfurt, Germany, combining visual arts and spoken word to raise awareness of social and environmental justice issues.

✅ 2018–2020

• Opened and operated Art Works From Turtle Island, a gallery/studio in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, showcasing diverse First Nations art forms and offering public education.

✅ 2020–Present

• Founded and currently serves as CEO of Kikiwak First Peoples Society, focused on addressing the First Nations housing, water, food, and health crises through sustainable building and land development models.
• Launched the Kikiwak Project, incorporating First Nations art, history, and culture into educational curricula at a proposed sustainable building and land development education center.
• Engaged in international advocacy, economic development modelling, and public speaking to highlight how Indigenous-led sustainable solutions can help address global environmental collapse and social inequity.

Artistic Media and Materials Worked In

• • Yellow cedar, red cedar, alder, pipe stone, soapstone, ram horn, moose bone, antler, silver, copper, and gold.