To view image click on "Access Content Now" above Though Sarain Stump lived in Saskatchewan only a short time, his influence as a teacher and activist is remembered by a generation of Indigenous artists, including Gerald McMaster and Edward Poitras. To create this print of a drawing, Stump used a historic method known as lithography. Printers ink is applied to an image on a flat printing surface, a litho stone or plate. The ink only sticks to the grease of the drawing. Then paper is placed onto the plate, and using pressure, usually in a printing press, the image transfers to the paper. Stump’s drawings and poems were inspired by Indigenous stories, and his own experiences. Sarain Stump (1945 – 1974), Born Mario Sarain in Venice, Italy, Stump was a writer, musician, actor and educator who was inspired by Indigenous culture. Later in life, in recognition for his activism and teaching, he was adopted into the Plains Cree Nation. As a young man, he studied draftsmanship and design at a Venice technical institute. His interest in North American Indigenous history, art and culture inspired him to change his name and move to Canada, taking a job at an Alberta ranch in the early 60s. In 1969, Stump published a book of poems and drawings, “There is My People Sleeping” which inspired many Indigenous artists and writers. Joining the staff at the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural College in 1972, Stump became the art coordinator and travelled throughout Saskatchewan, visiting First Nations communities and talking with students about Indigenous art. He also married a Métis woman, Linda Youens (now Jaine) with whom he had a son, and travelled the Americas, studying Meso-American Indigenous cultures. Tragically, he died quite young in 1974, in a drowning accident off the coast of Mexico
