The Book of Origins / Le Livre des Origines

The Book of Origins – Le Livre des Origines, text by André Ricard, lithographs by Carmelle Martineau, set book for exhibition organized by ARA-Canada, 2004

Sewn boards binding covered in full goatskin; leather-jointed endsheets of brown, blue, green Spanish marbled paper with leather joints; acrylic decorated edges; back-pared onlays. Bound 2005.

8.5 x 5.5 x 1"

Text tells the creation story of the Huron people in the voice of a boy undergoing their traditional initiation retreat. Structure, colors and onlays represent key themes and images in the story. Dirt clinging to the roots of a tree that fell to the then aquatic world through a tear in the sky was used to create land on the back of a wise and revered turtle. Twin brothers, one good and one bad, divided the new land, each to provide his portion with terrain, plant and animal life as he saw fit. A final duel between the brothers ended when one fatally attacked the other using antlers as a weapon.