Reconciliation Art Panels

Our Sn̓ʕaýckstx (Sinixt) creation story begins at a time before animals, and long before humans. The elements and the lights of the cosmos were drawn to the beauty of this world. These star beings helped plants to grow. The plants made the world even more beautiful, and the flowers and berries of this land smelled delicious. The floating beings began to eat the alluring plants. They were weighed down by what they ate, and their bodies took on new physical forms.

Thus began the animals and the time when animals were the people. We have many stories from this time that provide our first teachings and instructions for living. During this time, sn̓k̓lip (Coyote) prepared the world for the human beings. He took on challenges, like finding a sneaky way to help n̓ty̓tyix (Salmon) bypass the dam created and guarded by the bird sisters. He worked with his power to ensure that the n̓slxʷ̓ ʔitkʷ (Columbia River) would be full of n̓ty̓tyix so that the generations following the first Sn̓ʕaýckstx woman and man would have everything they needed to live a good life on the earth.

Two distinct stories about the first woman tell of our connection to cedar and all living beings in our territory, which extends south to Kettle Falls and north to the headwaters of the n̓slxʷ̓ ʔitkʷ. Our people made this journey throughout the cycle of the year, and like sx̌ʷəƛ ̓ íʔ (Mountain Goat), our own beauty and strength is found as we return to our northern homelands.

Designs based on these stories and more are embedded in this Sn̓ʕaýckstx story panel. 

Tawow,

This piece is a dedication to the power of connection, a tribute to this sacred space and the many stories and people it will hold. 

This piece, like each of us, has its own story; one that serves as a reminder that life is all about the process, that’s what it means to be an artist… it isn’t the end masterpiece that makes one an artist but the ability to constantly adjust and navigate with what you have in front of you. It’s not about having the answers ahead of time, it’s about learning and feeling, self-correcting and analyzing…it’s about awareness of yourself and the world around you. A reminder that the right thing is often the most difficult, but we must trust our internal compass and take the steps forward, anyways. 

I have no idea what I’m doing most days, but I feel each one quite fully. The best I’ve come up with is to feel into each moment and ask myself what would I think/feel as an outsider looking in, better yet what will my son think of me? The centre of the painting or base behind the Coyote is my son’s iris. Everything in his eye, he is always watching, always learning…. Our actions have a ripple effect on everything we are in relationships with, everything around us and vice versa. We cannot exist without our community; a beautiful collaboration of our ancestors, our family and friends, or those moments that grab us and hold our thoughts and memories, these pieces combined, make us who we are.

As you can see, coyote takes centre stage of this piece, not by choice but by demand. The very first day I came to look at the space, upon returning to my car there was a coyote standing right beside my vehicle. Every evening, when I drove back home from painting, I would see a coyote standing at the same spot on the road each time. Coyote is often seen as a trickster, the truth behind the illusion. I think of the internal battle I faced being able to fill this space as an artist, more delicately an Indigenous artist, and the self-doubt and self-negative talk I had to battle, but I took coyote’s presence as a sign to keep moving forward despite the discomfort. 

I thank all of my relations and the conversations and universal love and creator for the inspiration and support in guiding me on this road.

Make the circle bigger.

For me, the mural represents knowledge transfer and passing on the knowledge of our ancestors to the younger generations to keep our culture alive.

Visit Cedar and Pine Design.

This mural was created as part of a community Indigenous art initiative at Selkirk College Tenth Street Campus, and as a legacy project for the Comparative Cultures 12 class at L.V. Rogers Secondary School.

Over the past few years, the CC12 class has completed several artworks at the end of each semester, known as "Legacy Projects." These have included a Peace Tower, a stylized Earth art piece as well as the LVR School Constitution. At the start of each CC 12 class, we gathered in the Selkirk space to share creation stories from around the world and to enjoy Bannock together. When I saw the opportunity to create artwork here, I decided to paint the mural. Thanks to Tim Wooldridge, teacher of the CC12 class, and to Naomi Legg for offering this meaningful opportunity as well as Selkirk College for housing my art.

This artwork expresses a heartfelt wish for Indigenous peoples to find eternal peace and wisdom as they continue to embrace change in their ancestral territories. 

The background of this painting looks southeast from the top of Nelson, depicting the Indigenous people who inhabited this place. The temporal element of “night” represents a time of quiet and restful peace during the day, symbolizing rest, recovery, enlightenment, and wisdom. 

Additionally, the moon in this painting symbolizes the seasons, vitality, femininity and change.