2021 Year of the Ox
Lantern Stories
šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square
North of the Vancouver Art Gallery
Wildfire
Susan Point
This design metaphorically represents nature’s forces, conveying the power of nature and the forces beyond our control. This image was created as an artistic expression of the multi-cultural environment unique throughout the world.
In creating this imagery, the phoenix, the eagle, and the thunderbird were incorporated, all of which are universal to the various cultures around the world, and each bird image having different symbolic meanings to each culture and/or religion.
For First Nations peoples along the Northwest Coast of B.C., the thunderbird and the eagle are prominent bird images used within their culture both spiritually and aesthetically, being part of many myths and legends. The thunderbird was the most powerful of all spirits, symbolizing power and strength, a strong and protecting natural force. The eagle is a symbol of power, and its eagle down is a symbol of peace and friendship.
With respect to the mythological phoenix, the phoenix is a powerful symbol and symbolizes different things to the many cultures and religions around the world. As the thunderbird is to First Nations peoples, the phoenix is the ultimate symbol of strength, renewal and resurrection/rebirth. The phoenix animal guide is symbolic of the sun, which dies in setting each night only to be reborn in the rising the next morning. For many indigenous tribes, the phoenix totem is the keeper of the fire in all of creation. In different cultures and beliefs, the myth of the phoenix has a common element, the desire for transformation and overcoming obstacles.
Thoughts on “Family”:
“These lanterns on display are side by side, just like we are as a family. Family, that’s a strong word.
Family for us means the ones who will be beside us no matter what happens. We support each other and inspire each other at home and while working together or apart.”
Brothers’ Sounds of Love and Longing
Pairang Pavavaljung
In the past, the tribes in the mountains had no electricity. The nights were quiet, and every day, the tribal elders would tell many myths and legends. Storytelling is an important part of the tribal heritage education, as it allows children to explore the philosophy of life through narratives. As a child, Pairang used to hear the elders tell the folklore of two brothers, which is, as shown in the picture, the originating tale of Paiwan people’s twin-pipe mouth flute and twin-pipe nose flute.
Legend has it that there were two brothers. Whenever they went hunting or fishing, the food prepared by their parents for the older brother was always stuffed with cockroaches, bones and other swill, while the younger brother always received delicious meat and fish. The older brother, finding himself unloved, left home; the younger one, not wanting to leave his brother, left as well and followed him. They walked and walked to a place far away from the tribe, and the older brother sat on the ground, joining his dirge to the moan of winds and the whining of animals, accompanied by his younger brother. Later, the two brothers turned into two mountains, where they sat forever in silence. The two mountains differ in size; the larger being the older brother and the smaller being the younger. Accordingly, Paiwan people’s twin-pipe mouth flute and twin-pipe nose flute are designed based on this tale. The pipe with fingering holes represents the older brother singing the melody, while the pipe without holes represents the younger brother backing in drone accompaniment.
To this day, the two mountains are known to the tribe as the Brothers Mountain.
səl̓ilw̓ət (Ancestral Spirits)
Thomas Cannell
This design is a personal motif featuring Thomas’ ancestors’ rememberings and teachings. This contemporary iconography is a representation of səl̓ilw̓ət, known today as Burrard Inlet to non-Indigenous peoples.
For a long time before the Salish Sea became an international shipping lane, between the narrows, when there was no Lions Gate bridge to gaze from, Thomas’ ancestors would watch as runs of Salmon chased in armies of Herring. They were, in turn, followed in by pods of Orca. The abundance of marine life within səl̓ilw̓ət was unparalleled. The rich marine resources such as Salmon, Herring, clams, and birds were essential parts of our people’s diet. They relied on their knowledge of the seasons and correlated tides.
Orca is said to protect those who travel away from home and to lead them back when the time comes. Orcas travel in large family groups, working together. Orca is dominant in Thomas’ design because they symbolize family, community and protection, and in this past year, people all realize how important these are.
Thoughts on “Family”:
“For me, family means being there and supporting one another through everything. I am very fortunate to have my family, who has helped along my journey of being an artist and encouraging me to do my best.”
Children of the Land and the Sun
Etan Pavavaljung
Memories are invaluable treasures for humans. They can help people pass on memorable things, meanwhile reminding us to seek principles that will be forgotten. Etan remembers that when he was little, he always listened to Grandma telling stories. Some were funny, some were scary, and some were just repetitive. Though he thought listening to stories was just a pleasure before sleeping, he came to realize meanings behind those legends and stories when Grandma passed away. For years, they have been inscribed in his memory.
This work is derived from the illustration book “Children of the Land and the Sun”. He tried to represent this illustration book through wood engravings to tell the myth of the origin of the Paiwan people that he heard from Grandma. For him, the myth has two important meanings: Reconfirming the origin of the creation of Taiwanese Indigenous people. Also the story gave us enlightenment that human-beings indeed need mutual help and sharing.
Etan will forever remember the amiable face Grandma had when telling stories, and will keep passing on those interesting, exciting myths that lie in his memory.
Salish Sea
Kelly Cannell
Along the Pacific Northwest lies the Salish Sea which spans from Olympia, Washington to British Columbia, encompassing Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
These inland waterways are home to the fascinating and magnificent resident orcas, a known icon to the Pacific. The orca is a powerful symbol to the Coast Salish people. They are known for their strong family bonds to care and protect one another. For this reason they largely represent unity. Depicted in this image is a playful pod of orcas swimming. Within the orcas are salmon, which these resident orcas survive off solely.
Thoughts on “Family”:
“I am very fortunate to have grown up in a very tight, well connected family. We grew in many ways together, not only as family but also friends and work partners. My family is very much a part of my everyday life and that I am grateful for. Working together as an artistic family we strive to carry on not only our mothers legacy as an artist but also our peoples way of life and
culture through art. My family has always been a part of my work and who I am as an artist.”
The Paiwan Wedding
Sakuliu Pavavaljung
The tribal folklore of the two Paiwan brothers carrying down an earthen pot from Mount Tjaivuvu evolved into the rituals of the wedding ceremony for the Ravar Mazazangiljan group of the Paiwan people. The ritual is called “Paukuz” and is still practiced by some tribes today.
The sequence of the Paukuz (escort) wedding ceremony is summarized as follows:
- “Carry up” refers to the groom arriving at the bride’s home, carrying her on the back. During the time of Japanese occupation, this ritual was replaced by carrying the bride in a sedan chair.
- “The bridge of ties” refers to the gifts from the groom’s family to the bride’s family as a token of gratitude for the journey, so that the bridal party would carry the bride to the groom’s home smoothly and safely.
- “Chimney smoke” refers to the fire lit with silvergrass at the entrance/exit of the tribe. It is for the reason that the smoke of good spirits can purify the bodies of the party.
- The “opening of the tribe gates” refers to when the bridal party enters the groom’s tribe, or when the groom sends gifts to the bride’s tribe, and both parties gather at cacavalj (the entrance/exit of the tribe) to exchange gifts then formally invite outsiders into the tribe.
- The tribe lights the sigil and pray for blessing. Gifts from the other party are counted, and the reason for the visit is explained.
- “Swinging” refers to people swinging in the horizontal direction. The four supporting poles of the swing represent the four cardinal directions of north, south, east and west. The ritual of swinging delivers a message to tribes that the couple, symbolized as children of the sun, are important seeds of the tribe. Families of both sides are therefore honored by the marriage ceremony.
*The described ceremony is unique to the Ravar group of the Paiwan people; each tribe has its own variations.
The qinalu a rarukuzan (wedding gifts) in the Paukuz marriage ceremony is broadly divided into five main categories:
- sini kiljakev — gifts of protection against evil spirits (muskets, iron targets, iron pots, etc.)
- ljakarau: garlands — gifts of honor (head rings, feathers, betel nuts, firewoods, etc.)
- veljatj: the escort of the bride — the main gift of the bride price (lands, rivers, earthen pots, knives, glass beads, etc.)
- vadis: the prey — gifts of animals
- kavecengel: crops — gifts of plants
Black Waters
Summer Cannell
Since the first hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ peoples began living here a millennia ago, until not long ago, Summer’s ancestors beheld a phenomenon that may never return. The waters around the river mouth would turn black. They called it Black Waters. Black because millions upon millions of salmon gathered in this area, waiting to enter the freshwater river to rediscover their spawning grounds. It was said that people could walk across the river on the backs of the returning salmon. They would wait until the tide was just right, at high tide, and then head up the river on a full moon.
Thoughts on “Family”:
“I maintain my family by returning love and affection. A healthy family’s positive feelings solidify our desire to know we are compatible with another human being. I love having a huge family; my family are my friends, and my friends are my family.”
The People from the Slope
Reretan Pavavaljung
The blue sunlight in the morning is overflowing, and the hawker’s voice is ringing.
I savor the the smell of my neighbor’s firewood, and sit by the door imagining a fantasy world;
Who is flying in the sky? How tall will millet grow? What are the Sambar family looking at?
Red, yellow, black, blue, green and white, each color is telling the same story – the Slope (Calisi)
The simple lines symbolize the innocence of children looking at the world.
Simple but eye-catching pictures are hidden everywhere; like every scene of life happens all around us.
If you look closely, you will find that everything is like a splendid little theater.
People cannot help falling into the world of the “slope”.
*Paiwan people call themselves Kacalisian, which means people who live on the slope.
English Bay
Salish Snowflake
Cory Douglas
Family is about connection, being unique and individual but coming together as a whole. Like a snowflake.
Waves of Culture
Bert Monterona
The diversity in family life in contemporary society has a broad range of dimensions, and family life is dependent on the culture of the societies of which the family is a part. Families have changed dramatically over time due to migration, economic, demographic, cultural and political factors.
Loving and practicing your own culture is one way of embracing cultural diversities and makes the family more united and open minded to adopt new life, new community and new home. The family life, values and culture responding to challenges to grasp the reciprocal interconnection between different cultures to fit into the bigger pattern of cultural change.
It is just like the painting showing different directions of water current but the fish and the bird still keep on swimming forward.
The Sweet Buzz of Community
Kent Chan-Kusalik
“Family” has always had a dual meaning, both referring to the family you are born with and the family that you choose. As Kent has gotten older, “family” has taken on new meaning. Those who have faced the same struggles and adversity as Kent through life are also Kent’s family. This piece is a love note to Kent’s non-straight and non-cis siblings of every stripe and every background. “I love you, honeys.”
Coastal Memories
Tierney Milne
Family is an integral structure in Tierney’s life, both with her blood family and her studio family that she works around every day. The stability and confidence to explore that this sort of familial scaffolding creates in her life feels very similar to the role of compositional gridlines in her artwork. As with family, these connection points and supportive framework are foundational to moving forward and help clear the way for exploration and play.
Oxen
Pierre Luigi Vassura
Family is at the centre of life: past, present and future. The support and care of his family is what has assisted him in the evolution of his creative journey.
Katribo
Mario (MAYO) Landicho
As a basic unit of society, family is everything. Love, unity, support, trust, sacrifice, and cooperation are virtues that make a family. And family doesn’t always mean blood. It’s about the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones that keep you motivated, the ones who accept who you are, and the ones that will be there for you and love you no matter what.
The Lantern City is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered on this land, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples whose arts and stories inspire us to bring communities together.
