This red cedar log from
the Squamish Valley will be carved by Coast Salish artist Jody
Broomfield into a Welcome Figure for Ecole Argyle Secondary in North
Vancouver. Brad Baker
By Elisia Seeber, North Shore News
It may just be a fallen red cedar log now, but soon it will be brought back to life as so much more.
The red cedar log, estimated to be more than 200 years old, was
sourced from the Squamish Valley forest and donated by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh
(Squamish) Nation to be carved as the Welcome Figure for Ecole Argyle
Secondary in North Vancouver.
With open arms, the approximately 5.5-metre cedar sculpture will greet students, teachers, and visitors into the new school,
at 1131 Frederick Rd. in Lynn Valley, inside the building at the front
entrance as an acknowledgement that the school sits on the unceded
territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
But more work needs to be done before it reaches that stage.
Brad Baker, North Vancouver School District principal and
administrator of Indigenous education, said that so far the cedar log
had been brushed with boughs to cleanse it for its new role at the
school by Coast Salish artist Jody Broomfield.
The Squamish Nation carver will be working off-site on the project at
the Mosquito Creek Marina for the next couple of months or so.
Broomfield, whose journey as an artist began in 1999, is in the very early stages of his artistic process.
“I got the log this week, and I’ve stripped the bark off of it in
order to get a clear look at what the wood looks like,” he said. “In
this case, it exposed some branches and some knots, that I’ll have to
work around. I’ll also have to deal with a fall crack on the top portion
of the log.
“I'll find out when I cut into the wood and the wood speaks to me as to how fast I'll be able to work on it.”
His vision for the Welcome Figure is to reflect the general area of the North Shore and the Sea to Sky.
“It will have an ocean, mountain, and sky design on the bottom and then there will be a figure on top of that,” he said.
Baker explained that Welcome Figures – which differ from totem poles
in form and function – are used by Coast Salish peoples as markers to
welcome visitors to their territories and were usually carved in a
gesturing motion.
“Part of a Welcome Figure is to have open arms and welcome individuals to the school,” he said.
Broomfield added that they were also "a symbol of peace."
Once Broomfield has partly carved the log, expected sometime this
June, it will be transported to the school so he can work with students,
staff, and parents to complete it.
“Part of the idea is for Jody to share local knowledge and share the
story of the importance of the Welcome Figure to the local First
Nations," Baker said.
“Being a part of the process of working on a log that's hundreds of
years old and seeing that come back to life through a Welcome Figure,
and hearing the stories of Indigenous peoples, is so important for
students."
Broomfield, who has carved house posts in the past and a Welcome
Figure for Simon Fraser University, said he was looking forward to
working with students in a COVID-safe way at Argyle.
“I just hope to open their eyes and ears and their hearts regarding
our culture and where we come from,” he said, adding that he was ever so
grateful to be invited by the school and to step forward for the
project. “It’s about sharing that knowledge with them and what I've
learned over the years, and how I'm able to express it through art.”
He said students would help with the carving in the later stages of
the process, including learning how to make some cuts here and there and
helping to paint.
The school plans to raise the Welcome Figure in August and hold a
traditional First Nations ceremony, unveiling and blessing in September
after summer break.
The modern, energy-efficient school – which cost more than $61 million – opened to Argyle's 1,300 students in January.
Baker said Argyle had decided to wait until the construction phase of
the school was complete to embark on the Welcome Figure project so
students could be involved and so the entrance area was properly set up
for the figure to be installed.
“For it [Welcome Figure] to really come back to life we wanted the
students’ hands on it, and so that's why we're doing it now,” he said.
While many schools on the North Shore already have Welcome Figures,
Baker said SD44 was in the process of working to ensure all schools in
the school district had one.
“One reason why our school district is moving forward with Welcome
Figures is to acknowledge that we are on the unceded territory of the
Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples and to acknowledge that we recognize
that,” Baker said.
The next school on the list is Seycove Secondary in Deep Cove, which
Baker said had initiated contact and started the planning process to
work with Tseil-Waututh Nation on a Welcome Figure.
Broomfield has created around 10 public art pieces in North and West Vancouver which can be found on the North Shore Culture Compass.