A Syilx artist乌鸦传媒檚 mural design has been selected as the winner of the Kelowna Gospel Mission乌鸦传媒檚 beautification project.
In addition to having his mural painted on the back of the building in the near future, Sheldon Pierre Louis of Bound by a Feather Designs was also awarded $10,000 by the Gospel Mission and the Okanagan Indigenous Music and Arts Society (OIMAS) for his winning submission, 乌鸦传媒渒史u mr虛imstn, we are medicine.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭he artistic mural installation is meant to be a reflection of the internal work that the Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 Gospel Mission is doing at decolonizing the mission,乌鸦传媒� said Jenny Money, a member of the Westbank First Nation and president of OIMAS.
Louis said that his design represents the strength, determination and resiliency of the Syilx peoples.
乌鸦传媒淭his piece tells three stories that in ways intertwine with each other through communal and familial ties,乌鸦传媒� said Louis. 乌鸦传媒淭he main figure of a Syilx woman standing in the center is of my late Aunty twi Lucy Louis. She was one of three influential people in my path as an artist, she inspired me at the age of six to become the artist I am today.乌鸦传媒�
To her left is an image of community member, artist and author Billie Kruger holding a drum while kneeling at the water乌鸦传媒檚 edge and releasing salmon fry, which Louis said represents the Okanagan Nation Alliance乌鸦传媒檚 initiative to revive salmon stocks in the region.
To the right of his Aunty, is an image of his niece, Irene Wheeler (Louis), who he said is named after his grandmother, Irene Louis, who also happens to be the aunt to his Aunty.
乌鸦传媒淚 have added baby Irene as she represents the babies, the young ones. Aunty Lucy always mentioned and shared messages of remembering the babies and the young ones when we are making decisions in life as they will carry the impacts of our decisions,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚 have depicted baby Irene in an orange shirt and the words Every Child Matters to speak to the impacts of residential schools on our peoples.乌鸦传媒�
He added that he decided to feature three Sylix women in his design to depict the different phases of life, and to represent the strength and beauty of Sylix women.
乌鸦传媒淎s our Indigenous women face the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIW2) crisis it is important to always lift up and remember our women, our matriarchs,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Behind the three women are two female tuma (grandmother) spirits watching over them, which he said symbolizes the strength of Sylix women and the spiritual connection. A line of salmon bordering the design represents resilience and the path forward.
乌鸦传媒淣o matter how hard the work is we will continue to journey forward. This is how I see the possibility for reconciliation through doing the hard work, fighting against the flow, and being determined to reach our destination,乌鸦传媒� he said.
READ MORE: Strengthening Syilx women乌鸦传媒檚 identities, ties to the land
aaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com
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