Collection: Pat Bruderer - Cree Artist

Pat Bruderer (Halfmoon Woman)

Pat Bruderer (Halfmoon Woman) is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan (Assin'skowitiniwak – Rocky Cree). Born and raised in Churchill, Manitoba, she spent most of her life in northern Manitoba before settling in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, where she co-operates an art gallery in Nakusp.

A self-taught birch bark biting artist with more than thirty years of practice, Pat is dedicated to preserving and sharing one of the oldest Indigenous art forms on Turtle Island. Birch bark biting is created by folding an ultra-thin layer of birch bark and carefully biting into it with the artist's teeth to produce intricate, symmetrical designs. Traditionally, these delicate patterns were used to record stories and as templates for quillwork, beadwork, and embroidery, while also serving as a form of artistic competition among many First Nations communities.

Pat's work is deeply rooted in her Cree heritage and inspired by the resilience of her mother, whose spirit she says is woven into everything she creates. Each piece is completed through a meticulous thirteen-stage process that incorporates the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire.

Her artwork can be found in museums, galleries, and private collections throughout Canada and internationally, including the United States, Switzerland, France, and Italy. Since 2022, her acclaimed cultural exhibition, Biting Back: Our Cultural Resilience, has toured museums and galleries, helping to educate audiences about this remarkable traditional art form.

An accomplished educator, Pat has shared birch bark biting with hundreds of students and adults in communities including Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Thompson, and Vernon. She is passionate about passing on the cultural teachings behind the art, demonstrating how birch bark biting strengthens spatial reasoning while connecting learners to Indigenous history, mathematics, storytelling, and culture.

Pat feels a profound responsibility as a carrier of this traditional knowledge.

"While some art is made from the hand, this art is made with the teeth. Birch bark bitings are an imprint—illumination and shadow, teeth and bark—a kaleidoscope of impressions from my life."

"I'm a mother, kookoom to many and my relationships continue to thrive. Through cultural resilience, I bite back."

For more about Pat and her work, visit www.halfmoonwoman.com.