A Canadian Astronaut Brought Anishinaabe Art With Him To The Moon

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen has taken a piece of Indigenous culture into space with him courtesy of an Anishinaabe artist.

Hansen—who is part of the NASA Artemis II crew that launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday night—departed earth wearing a flight suit that featured a patch made by Anishinaabe artist Henry Guimond.

Guimond, who is from Sagkeeng First Nation, near Winnipeg, drew inspiration for the patch design from Anishinaabe teachings and the Seven Sacred Laws.

The seven-sided patch provides a “view” of earth and space and is framed by images of seven animals: a buffalo, eagle, bear, sasquatch, beaver, wolf and turtle. Each animal represents one of the teachings for a good life. Those teachings are respect, love, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth.

The patch also features a bow and arrow, which is a nod to Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt—and the name for the mission itself.

Hansen, who is from London, Ont., reportedly approached Guimond in 2023 to create the design after the former fighter pilot took part in a vision quest at Sagkeeng First Nation.

The Artemis II mission is a 10-day trip that will see the astronauts orbit the moon before returning to earth. It’s the first time a crewed mission has departed for the moon since 1972, and while the astronauts won’t land, the mission is seen as a stepping stone toward a future landing and moon base in 2028.  

Before he departed on Wednesday night, the astronaut, who is the first Canadian to take part in such a mission, signaled he was ready to begin the historic journey: “We are go, for all humanity,” said Hansen.