Reflecting is a new work by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh artist Xwalacktun on the The Polygon's south facade.

For thousands of years, the people of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation have been living in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor, and have witnessed this land undergo many changes and transitions. A story shared since time immemorial tells of the Creator flooding these lands when the people abandoned their ancestral teachings. The people took to their canoes, paddling to Nch’ḵay̓ (pronounced in-ch-KAI) – also known as Mt. Garabaldi – and gathered at the peak.

The story was recorded by Chief Louis Miranda. Known in the community as Uncle Louis, he significantly documented, taught, and archived the language and culture of the Squamish Nation. When the artist Xwalacktun was a young man, Chief Louis would refer to him as “Nch’ḵay̓”, as he would come down from upper Squamish to North Vancouver. Many years later, in 2023, Xwalacktun took a photograph of the peaks of Nch’ḵay̓. He sketched over the picture digitally, and wrote “Time In Memorial” across it. These words have been reproduced as a new artwork.

Superimposed over the reflection of Vancouver/ K'emk'emelay (pronounced KEM-kem-a-lie), Xwalacktun’s phrase is a play on “time immemorial”. He suggests a continual act of remembering, rather than a time beyond memory. There is a misconception that Indigenous People do not have records as there was no written language. In fact, history has been passed down through robust oral traditions. From one generation to the next, Knowledge Holders have ensured that memory is recorded.

To learn more about The Story of the Great Flood, please follow this link, shared with permission from the Squamish Nation’s economic development corporation named after Nch’ḵaý.

National Indigenous Peoples Day, observed on June 21, is a celebration of the history, culture, and diversity of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada.

More about Xwalacktun
Xwalacktun (born Rick Harry) has decades of experience as a carver and keeper of traditional Coast Salish culture and design principles. Xwalacktun was born and raised in Squamish. He carries with him the rich ancestries of his mother’s and father’s clans from Coast Salish and Kw’kwa k’wakw Nations. His father, Pekultn, carried a hereditary chieftainship from Seymour Creek, North Vancouver. He would like to acknowledge Capilano College and Emily Carr College of Art for teaching him the skills to have a start in his career. His endurance and commitment through trial and error helped propel him forward as an artist.

Healing and growth have become a central theme around Xwalacktun’s work. By focusing on how the traditional stories relate to his own life, he suggests to us how to use this ancient knowledge to help heal ourselves and our community. The giving out of positive energy and seeing it come back through the young people is the reward that continues to feed his spirit so that he can give back to others. Today, Xwalacktun is an accomplished artist in wood, paper, stone, glass and metals.

His public works are situated throughout Vancouver and the surrounding areas. Some widely recognized pieces are: First Nations designs on Vancouver 2010 Olympic wear, carved double doors for B.C. Hydro’s Burnaby and Vancouver locations, cedar doors for Harrison Hot Springs Resort’s “Healing Springs Spa”, and a metal, brick and glass sculpture in West Vancouver’s Ambleside Park.

Outside Canada, Xwalacktun has carved a forty-foot totem pole in New Hampshire for the Kokopelli Gallery and has 30 totem poles throughout Scotland. He collaborated with three artists in Beijing for the Canada Pavilion at the 2008 Olympics. For the 2008 and 2009 Nordic Winter Games, he designed banners and medals as well as elaborate snow boards for the First Nations Snowboarding team. For Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic bid, he contributed the initial Winter Sports Icons for the Bid Book as well as the Bid Box Lid.

In 2012, he received the Order of British Columbia for his many contributions to diverse communities. He is also a recipient of the “FANS” Honor Award from the North Vancouver Arts Council which acknowledged his commitments both locally and world‐wide. Most recently, he won the 2023 Polygon Award for First Nation Art in the Award of Distinction for Lifetime Achievement category.

Curated by Joelle Johnston, Indigenous Liaison and Community Outreach

Banner Image: Xwalacktun, Time in Memorial, 2023, digital photograph and drawing.