While it appears from afar like a non-objective painting—a visual ambiguity the artist relishes—the work is based on an 1868 map of Métis settlements near Manitoba’s Salle River. Following the French style, Métis properties were arranged in long, narrow strips that gave neighbours equalaccess to the winding river and close proximity to each other. The artist reflects upon historical conflicts between Métis people and the Crown, and their lasting effects in the present. As he writes, “The Red River Resistance and the Batoche Resistance were both fought over, among other things, the imposition of the British/Canadian property grid over the pre-existing French/Métis property system. The grid all but extinguished Métis title.”