BC Cancer-Surrey is located on the unceded, traditional and ancestral shared territories of the q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ ƛ ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓ əm (Kwikwetlem), Semiahmoo and sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) First Nations.
This mural installation honours Coast Salish and Indigenous Medicines in all their forms.
I drew upon imagery of medicines taught to me by my late great-grandmother, Dr. Ellen White, Kwulasulwut, alongside medicines from the region of the centre and especially Quibble Creek which is just across the street, as well as feedback that was generously shared at the beginning of this project by Indigenous patients and BC Cancer staff.
Across all the murals, three main themes are shared:
- healing
- traditional medicine
- teachings that come from the land
The different murals depict different instances of these themes and all draw upon traditional Coast Salish imagery intertwined with suggestions made by patients.
I worked with my own uy shqwaluwun (to be of good mind) to make this art and I hope that it helps each person who visits here on their healing journeys. This mural installation was completed with the support and hard work of Jesse Campbell and Campbell Visual Arts.
On one wall, we have two murals that depict important medicines in Coast Salish culture.
Mural one depicts
Sxu'enxwe:n (Rattlesnake Plantain). See image to the left.
Mural two depicts
Quxmin (Indian Consumption Plant). See image to the left.
Lhuxw u' tu Huli (The Flow of Life) is the third mural and is painted on the left side of the stairwell going down. See image to the left.
This mural shows a river flowing down the stairwell, it references Quibble Creek which is across the street from the centre. That creek is a salmon bearing stream and this design honours medicines and life that are supported by the stream.
The serpent is the spirit of the river and salmon are climbing up its back. The salmon represent cycles of renewal and regeneration in life and death. The salmon sustain and nourish the ecosystems of the rivers and forests that they spawn upon, animals and plant life alike benefit from their nutrients. As the salmon spawn and pass away the next generation is left behind them and will carry them forward.
At the bottom of the stairs are the plants qelqulhp (nootka rose), lila' (salmonberries), wuxus (frogs), and sum'sumayu (bumblebees) who are supported by the river.
Hulit (To Heal) is the mural at the bottom of the stairs. See image to the left.
This mural honours traditional Coast Salish healing work. It draws upon an ancestral spindle whorl design that depicts a healer healing the figure in the centre.
In my rendition, two ravens and two bumblebees are helping the healer do their work. Four fishers prowl around the outside. In Coast Salish culture, fishers are known to keep death away and to help guide the newly departed in their journeys.
Flowers and plants at the top and bottom represent the medicine that the healer is using.
Yulew tu Huyqw (After the Fire) is a long mural at the bottom of the stairs. See image t the left
This mural depicts a scene of the land healing after a fire and the flourishing of medicine that takes place during that time.
After a fire, fireweed and berries flourish in the nutrients available in the soil. Despite the destruction, there are new forms of medicine that come to us.
In the mural, a bear is praying to Grandmother Cedar, who is coming back to life as new sprouts emerge. Grandmother Cedar is offering medicine to the bear.
To the right, an Elder healer is gathering plantain to use as medicine. In the background, a small raven is taking flight, and it is missing some feathers; this raven was suggested by one of the patients and I found that idea beautiful. It symbolizes that despite going through hardships there is strength in all of us.
Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun is a Coast Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth artist and storyteller from the Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo, BC.
His family roots are in Penelakut and in Hupacasath. His interdisciplinary art practice is rooted in honouring and celebrating the stories and teachings passed down by his family, community, and culture.
He works across a range of mediums, including digital art, painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation, creative writing, and curation. His work has been exhibited internationally across Canada, the United States, and England.
He currently resides on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.
