Ours was an abundant land. Our forests, meadows, creek sides, marshes and seashores offered many plants for our use. – Dave Elliott Sr., 1980 This Area Was A Natural Park Climbing up the summit at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC, visitors can see a plaque affixed to a rock that reads: When Victoria was settled in 1843, this area was a natural park (….). Or so the Europeans who arrived by ship in 1842 thought. They were exploring the South coast of Vancouver Island, looking f.... Read more >>

Heiltsuk artist KC Hall represents a new generation of native artists. He is combining graffiti with traditional form line. In the process he is reaching a whole new group of art enthusiasts. The thought that he might be ruffling the feathers of traditionalists along the way is of no concern to him. KC says, “Native art is nothing like it was 10 years ago. At one point everything was changing except for the form itself (….) and now people are adding to it and making it a newer version of its.... Read more >>

The area from Vancouver Island to the lower BC mainland and the coastline all the way down to Oregon has been home to the Coast Salish for millennia. This is also where a very unique breed of dog, which came to be known as the Salish Wool dog, had its origin. When Spanish explorer Juan Jose Perez Hernandez and his crew first made contact with the Coast Salish in 1774, they did not expect to find a civilization dressed in woven clothing. Up to this point, every indigenous person they had encou.... Read more >>

Kwakwaka'wakw art has a long history of tradition and innovation, of legacy and inventiveness. Since the beginning, it’s been an evolving exploration of expression, design and form. But first: Who are the Kwakwaka’wakw? The Kwakwaka’wakw (pronounced Kwak-wak-ya-wak), or Kwagiulth, are the original inhabitants of northern Vancouver Island, the adjacent mainland and the islands in between. Kwakwaka'wakw literally translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nati.... Read more >>