Painting a story

Painting a Story

Painting

A Story

Written by: Ryan Underwood

A

The mural was made by 2 local indigenous artists, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) carver Aaron Nelson-Moody (Splash), and weaver Angela George. The mural is intended to charge the vibrant history of the land. In the mural, Angela George, one of the artists said “We know that our ancestors and our ancestral ways come from the land, we are the land. So to have these designs emerging and rooted in those lands there, it really speaks to our oral history, these weaving patterns and designs.” The drawings on the mural hold knowledge, the knowledge is held in the indigenous weaving designs and artwork. The installment has references to local creatures from Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territories, making it easier for the general public to relate to the work. This art piece seems to be saying the land you are on holds the knowledge and history of the past.

moment captured forever, can you see the story told in one piece of art? Each piece of art you see whether it be a book or a painting, tells a story within. Indigenous art, specifically Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people's art is a prominent part of their culture that is seen around North Vancouver. Indigenous history in North Van goes back thousands of years and is still being made now. There are many pieces of art in North Vancouver that are made by indigenous artists and those pieces all have important stories and significant parts of indigenous history hidden inside. All art tells a story. The art made by the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples can show the story of their history on the North Shore.

History helps us understand the present. The indigenous people's history in North Vancouver goes back thousands of years. Vancouver is on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Before European colonization indigenous peoples lived with their own culture and traditions. The Tsleil-Waututh lived by a “Seasonal Round.”The seasonal round is a cycle of food gathering and spiritual and cultural activities that formed the heart of their culture.

The cycle included Winter, Late spring, Mid-July/August, and Fall, each of the seasons includes different activities and celebrations. All of this is known because of the oral history passed down through many generations. The Musqueam’s practices and teachings have been preserved through their ancestors and the connection to the land and water. They share teachings through oral history/stories. The Squamish Nation’s oral literature speaks about the origins of the Squamish Nation’s people in their lands through the stories of their first ancestors. Their culture has been created through the lands, waters, and people for many generations. They continue to practice those traditions, customs, and ways of their ancestors and pass them on to future generations. Many of these traditions and cultures are told through oral stories and history but they can also be seen in art made by indigenous peoples in the past and present.

There are many pieces of indigenous art in North Vancouver, too many to count. One major installment of indigenous art is the mural on the side of Hwy 1, the piece is called Ncheḿús (Coming Together). This mural is 28 panels and each has a representation of the land it sits on.

The mural was made by 2 local indigenous artists, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) carver Aaron Nelson-Moody (Splash), and weaver Angela George. The mural is intended to charge the vibrant history of the land. In the mural, Angela George, one of the artists said “We know that our ancestors and our ancestral ways come from the land, we are the land. So to have these designs emerging and rooted in those lands there, it really speaks to our oral history, these weaving patterns and designs.” The drawings on the mural hold knowledge, the knowledge is held in the indigenous weaving designs and artwork. The installment has references to local creatures from Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territories, making it easier for the general public to relate to the work. This art piece seems to be saying the land you are on holds the knowledge and history of the past.

“We know that our ancestors and our ancestral ways come from the land, we are the land.”

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Another example of story telling through art is a book, called Red by a Haida artist named Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, the Haida Nation is not in North Van but Micheal visited to present his creation. When Michael visited he read Red at the Bill Reid Gallery. Red is a graphic novel made from an interesting mix of Haida imagery and Japanese manga. The book is about the main character Red, Red is the leader of a small village in the islands off the northwest coast of British Columbia. His sister was abducted years ago by a band of raiders. When news comes that she has been spotted in a nearby village, Red sets out to rescue his sister and exact revenge on her captors. Not only is this a great read it also has an interesting concept, when you finish the book you are meant to take out all the pages and create a 5-meter-long mural. This story is referencing a classic Haida oral narrative, Consisting of 108 pages of hand-painted illustrations. The book Red’s story is a more physical representation of a classic Haida oral narrative. Many indigenous stories and histories are from orally told stories and the creation of Red was a new way to tell it, making a new way to interpret and visualize the story.

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"Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’s imagery speaks across cultures"

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Red is a new way for non-indigenous people to learn the stories created by indigenous peoples and the importance of stories in indigenous culture.

Telling a story is something all art does, stories are one of the most important things in Indigenous culture, and art can tell those stories. There is a prominent indigenous history in North Vancouver and that has shaped our present. Knowing the history of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and any other indigenous groups help us understand why North Van is what it is today. The Hwy 1 Mural, Red, and any other Indigenous art pieces show the history that is so significant to everyone living on indigenous land. In short indigenous art tells the important stories and histories of North Van and BC so that we can see the significance.

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Work Cited

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Carey, Charlie Local Journalism Initiative Reporter. “Stunning Mural by Local First Nations Artists Adorns Highway 1’s Newly Completed Lower Lynn Interchange.” North Shore News, 26 Dec. 2021, www.nsnews.com/local-arts/stunning-mural-by-local-first-nations-artists-adorns-highway-1s-newly-completed-lower-lynn-interchange-4887379.

Vastokas, Joan M.. "Contemporary Indigenous Art in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 03 October 2019, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/contemporary-aboriginal-art-in-canada. Accessed 28 April 2022.

“The Seriousness of Play: Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.” Bill Reid Gallery, www.billreidgallery.ca/blogs/exhibitions-page/the-seriousness-of-play-michael-nicoll-yahgulanaas#. Accessed 28 Apr. 2022.

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