A special art piece was unveiled at Foundry Ridge Meadows on Wednesday, reflecting the talents of Indigenous youth in the community.
Katzie and Ahousaht First Nations artist Oscar Joseph was on hand to unveil the piece called “Medicine”, which he worked on with four youth ranging in age from 19-21 years old.
April 22 was the first time he saw the finished project mounted on the wall at the Foundry’s Maple Ridge location in a group space where youth and community come together for activities and meetings.
“The emotions were something,” said Joseph, noting that this was his very first piece of art that he has shared with anyone in his life, because, he noted, when he was younger he was shamed from doing what he loved to do.
Joseph’s family attended the event, with about 50 other guests, to share in the moment including his mother, sister, and brother.
His older brother Arthur Joseph hosted the ceremony, leading a prayer, drumming songs, and explaining the meaning of each of the drawings on the four canvases.
“I’m really proud of my brother for doing this,” he told those gathered for the unveiling.
There is a moon which represents light when the earth is dark and the sun, one of the protectors of daytime, with its warmth.
Two eagles representing ancestors watching over their families, and a turtle represents every person on Turtle Island, an Indigenous name for North America.
A whale represents power in the sea, a bear paw represents power on the land, and a deer represents the Joseph brothers’ Indigenous names.
Finally, moss representing Katzie First Nation, at the very bottom.
Amanda Carson, an outreach worker at Community Services, connected the local youth from the Child and Youth Connections Program, with Joseph.
She said they met for an hour once a week for 10 weeks to finish the piece.
It was a collaborative effort, she said.
“We thought of ideas of traditional and pan-Indigenous things like the medicine wheel and it kind of broke into four sections for us and we just were like, wow, earth, land, water, sea,” Carson noted.
“We just wanted to get the feel of where we actually are in the community and that’s why the moss was important to add because it was part of Katzie traditions,” she added.
The best part, she said, was seeing the youth proud of their finished product.
“Just that pride is something you don’t get to see in our Indigenous youth, especially when it comes to cultural things,” she said.
Joseph became emotional when thanking the youth who helped with the project for coming to the unveiling.
He told The News that every time they worked on the project, they didn’t want to stop working when the hour was up, something he felt was very special.
Before the evening was over, gifts were handed out to the youth and to the Joseph brothers.
Foundry Ridge Meadows supervisor, Charlene Moore, said the youth who participated felt proud of their contribution and were excited seeing their ideas come to life.
“The medicine wheel and art work will generate conversations about health and well-being and inspire people to learn more about what that means to them,” she said.