SnexwilhT’laoz’
T’laoz’
December 2012 –March 2013
Our connection to this place is deep and reaches back before recorded time. Learn about the craft & culture of canoe making. Meet our head canoe carver Sésiyam Ray Natraoro, he shares his connection to canoes, how he chooses a single tree and transforms it into a living being.
Central to the exhibition are two canoes, one from each nation. One is Stelkaya-Striking Wolf a 28 foot hunting canoe carved by Sésiyam Ray Natraoro as a wedding gift to his wife Noelle Natraoro. The other is a river canoe carved by Jonathan Joe of the L̓il̓wat Nation. Included in the exhibit are the traditional tools used for fishing and bring food back home to the families.
Sekyú Siy̓ám̓ Hereditary Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation curated this exhibit for the Vancouver Maritime Museum. The exhibition is used to show the importance of the canoes to our people, culture, and our connection with the land and water, that we remember to respect and protect them all.
Ours is a story of human struggle, adaptation and survival on the land and sea. It is a universal story, we are proud to share our heritage with you.
Sekyú Siy̓ám̓ Hereditary Chief Ian Campbell -Guest Curator
Ledcor, Squamish Nation, Vancouver Maritime Museum
BC Hydro, Vancity, Walter Energy, Cloverdale Paint, Society of Naval Architects British Columbia Arts Council, Vancouver 125 Years, Province of British Columbia
December 2012-March 2013