About the Morrisseau Family Foundation

Norval Morrisseau, Copper Thunderbird, is buried next to his wife Harriet Kakegamic in Keewaywin, in his Ojibwe homeland. His grave is marked with a simple picket fence, and is maintained by his family. Norval Morrisseau is acclaimed as one of Canada's greatest artists, and his works sell for tens of thousands of dollars, yet at the time of his death, his family was told that he did not have a bank account, and that he had no inventory of paintings. Major artworks were dispersed under questionable circumstances, and his children's inheritance amounted to absolutely zero.

Norval's eldest daughter, Victoria, intuitively understood that her father's legacy belonged to the First Nations of Canada, and specifically to his blood family, and shortly after his death in 2007, she resolved to assert her family's moral and legal entitlement to the artistic legacy of Norval Morrisseau.

Victoria knew that she would need help if she was to achieve her goals, so she contacted someone she knew she could trust, Joseph McLeod, a longtime family friend who had known her father for over forty years, and had known Victoria herself since childhood. As a professional art gallery owner with over three decades of experience in the sale of First Nations art, he was well-positioned to support Victoria through the complex processes involved in staking her family's claim to their intellectual property.

Together, Joseph and Victoria took the first steps towards asserting the family's rights through the creation of a legal non-profit entity, the Morrisseau Family Foundation, a registered charitable entity in the Province of Ontario. In June of 2009, the Morrisseau Family Foundation successfully petitioned the courts for their ownership of the copyright to Norval Morrisseau's artistic legacy. With this judgment, the Foundation's work begins a new phase, in asserting that Norval Morrisseau's legacy now belongs to the Native People of Canada and, specifically, to his seven children. Under Canadian law, copyright violation is punishable by a fine of up to $1 million, and up to five years in prison. The Foundation intends to assert its legal ownership of the Morrisseau legacy, to ensure an appropriate future for the Morrisseau family, and to protect the legacy from illegal exploitation.

The Board of Directors of the Foundation is composed entirely of the seven children of Norval Morrisseau and Harriet Kakegamic, chaired by Victoria Kakegamic, with Joseph McLeod chairing the Circle of Friends. The organization's day to day operations are staffed by volunteers in Toronto.

Letters of Support

A selection of letters of support the Morrisseau Family Foundation has received

"Happy to hear the news of efforts to protect Norval Morrisseau's work and legacy. Please keep me informed of upcoming events."

"I am glad to see you have set this up, and wish you success in the on going story of Norval Morriseau."

"Congratulations and best wishes to you in your endeavors to preserve the legacy of your father's artistic contribution to the people of Canada and the rest of the world. It is great to have members of Mr. Morrisseau's actual family come forward to take the lead in preserving his work and reputation."

"If a member of his family could print and then burn the following message, maybe its smoke could reach him, somewhere. Thank you.

Dear Copper Thunderbird, Comme tu n'es plus là, je peux me permettre de t'écrire en français. J'aimerais avoir la permission de te tutoyer. Ce n'est pas par manque de respect, loin de là. C'est parce que c'est mon âme qui parle à la tienne. Tu es le peintre qui me touche le plus depuis que je connais la peinture, soit toute petite. Je ne me lasse jamais de regarder tes peintures, tes couleurs, tes compositions. Du haut de ta sagesse maintenant infinie, je veux te remercier d'avoir été, d'être encore et de m'avoir offert ce si grand cadeau."

"I want to wish the Morrisseau family every success. I am so glad that you all are the reognized guardians of his legend. I have always admired Norval and his art."

"I just wanted to tell you that you and your art are inspiring. I am, at present, experiencing some difficulties in life and truly appreciate your art and the parts of your soul that you share in each piece of art."

"Today I would like to present to you his family my sincere condolences and which you all the best, and let you know Norval will not be forgotten."

Morrisseau Family Foundation
c/o Victoria Kakegamic, Box 38 Keewaywin Reserve, ON P0V 3G0 Canada
Morrisseau Family Foundation
33 Hazelton Ave. Suite 409 Toronto ON M5R 2E3 Canada

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