Ken Rollinson's ancestors are a mixture of French, Acadian and Mi'kmaq people. He is a member of the East Coast First Peoples Band out of New Brunswick. Ken's wife discovered his Acadian and Mi'kmaq heritage while researching his genealogy. Ken had always known there were Native people in his ancestry through family rumours and photographs, but it wasn't until his genealogy was researched that he discovered who his families Native people were. Ken not only draws on his Native heritage for inspiration, but also his French and Acadian ancestry. Ken is a direct descendant of many Acadian pioneers, who were expelled from their homes. This is commonly referred to as, "The Great Expulsion" or "The Acadian Deportation" , which occurred in the mid 1700's when many of Ken's ancestors were forcibly removed from their lands. Ken's family tree bears the Acadian surnames LeJeune, Martin, LeBlanc, Dugas, Petitous, Pellerin, Bourg, Savoie, Boudrot, Landry and others. You can read more about the Acadian's and the tragic events they endured through visiting the Acadian Ancestral Home. Ken is also a direct descendant of Nicolas Perrot, one of Canada's famous French pioneers. Nicolas first came to Canada with the Jesuit priests at which time he visited many of the Native tribes and learned their languages. Later he would drop out of the Jesuit order and become an explorer, fur trader and interpretor for the Native tribes and the French authorities at the time. He is said to of been France's best representative among the Indians in the western territories of French North America. He was able to learn languages and customs of native tribes and earned their esteem and confidence. You may find out more about Ken's 8th Great Grandfather, Nicolas Perrot, at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. KEYWORDS: Acadian, Mi'kmaq, Micmac, Acadia, Artist, Native, Art, Genealogy, Leblanc, Indian, Kenneth Rollinson, Rollinson, Carving, Wood, Canadian, Genealogy, History, Carver, Sculptor, Sculpture, Metis, French, Crow, Raven, Petroglyphs, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec. "Growing up in Collingwood, Ontario next to Blue Mountain, I always felt I was born in the wrong time period. I was drawn towards the Native way of living in the bush and making things out of wood and stone. Growing up on my Grandfather's farm in Collingwood where there was known Native sites shaped and nurtured my interest in the way the Native people lived. My Grandfather rented land that was later found to be the site of a Petun Deer tribe village. On Sundays we would drive to the field and wander around picking up bits of pottery and other stone items as we looked for our cows. I remember as a child my Grandparents basement was full of old pottery that they had picked off the field after the groundhogs had pushed it up while digging holes. I recall the smell of the clay, as I would go into the basement and study the designs on the pottery." ...Ken Rollinson A key figure in shaping his interest in Native culture was a grade school Science teacher who used to carve Native looking bows, arrows and clubs and hang them at the back of his classroom. He also had a pet skunk that he kept in a storage room in his class. Ken used to be mesmerized over the things he would carve and wanted so badly to ask him about it, but was too shy. Once Ken seen what this man was making his interest in Native history became a passion. By the time he was nine he started trying to carve wood objects with his pocketknife. His Grandfather showed him how to carve with a hunting knife and then stain the wood by burning it. He also showed Ken how to take an old pop bottle, break it and use the broken pieces as a shaver to shave the wood. The first item Ken made was a game made from a pointed stick he had carved and a bone. He drilled a hole in the bone and then tied it to the stick. The object of the game was to toss the bone in the air and then try to spear it with the stick. Another influence in Ken's life was Jay Blair, an amateur archeologist from the area. Ken grew up hearing stories of his exploits from his family as Jay Blair lived beside Ken's Grandmother's homestead farm. Jay was instrumental in finding a lot of Native sites and artifacts. In fact when the archeologists from Toronto came to Collingwood to find the Native sites they went to Jay Blair to show them. Ken's Great Uncles tell a story of Jay driving up through their farm with bones in the back of his car. When they asked him what he was doing with all those bones. He said, "I'm burying your ancestors!" It seemed as though in some strange way Jay had the insight to see that Ken's family had Native blood in their heritage. Jay had a great respect for the First Nations people and if a farmer tilled up bones from their field Jay was there. In the 1990's Ken met an Ojibwe Elder who took an interest in his work and taught Ken about the Sweat lodge and other ceremonies. The Elder has been instrumental in Ken's development as he helped him better understand the images that come out in his work, as well as some of the experiences he has had in his life. The sweat lodge has helped Ken to focus and sharpen his artistic skills. Ken's work is done spontaneously without drawing or planning in any way.