The Matriarch System – Alanna Bluebird – Ootskoyisisstaaki
The Matriarch System – Alanna Bluebird – Ootskoyisisstaaki
The Matriarch System – Alanna Bluebird – Ootskoyisisstaaki (Bluebird Woman)
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of capturing photographs of powerful, intelligent women who have shaped me and helped me grow into the woman I am today. To me, they represent a living system, one that calms, nurtures, and strengthens. A system rooted in care, responsibility, and the sacred work of raising the next generation. This is why I call this collection “The Matriarch System”
It is not new, It stretches back through generations. It lives in our DNA. It follows the path our grandmothers walked and the ways they chose to live. We are our grandmothers’ prayers, their quiet conversations over tea, the medicine they gathered with intention and love. We are their manifestations made visible.
This collection is a reminder that matriarchy is not power over, but power with. It is resilience, tenderness, and wisdom passed hand to hand. May these images honour where we come from, affirm who we are, and remind us that when women rise together, the future is already being healed.
Alanna Bluebird – Ootskoyisisstaaki is a Tsuut’ina & Siksika Nation multimedia specialist with over a decade of experience in photography, film, and lived performance. They are a director and producer of Cutknife Creek, a Tsuut’ina-language animated short selected by over 26 international festivals. Alanna worked on the Netflix television series The Abandons, contributing traditional quillwork for costumes and props and supporting set dressing within the Set Decoration department. A published children’s book author and spoken word artist, their work centers Indigenous resilience, healing, and cultural storytelling across mediums.
Date:January 24th, 2026 - March 13th, 2026
Location:Casa - Saokitapi Gallery
Casa Program Guide
The Casa Program Guide is produced three times a year; Winter, Spring/Summer and Fall. Inside the guide find listings for the upcoming class and workshop schedule, upcoming exhibitions at The Gallery, information about artists in residence and seasonal events in the building. Program guides are free. Pick-up guides at Casa or at facilities throughout the city.