Children of Takaya

August 6 September 10, 2022

Curated by Jonas Jones (TsuKwalton), Children of Takaya brings together six emerging Tsleil-Waututh artists, sheds light on their individual craft as they build their careers, and reveals this to be an important moment of collective cultural resurgence.

Artists: Jordan Gallie, Olivia George, Robert George, Ocean Hyland, Jonas Jones, and Syvawn Paul

Exhibition Reception: Saturday, August 13, 2 – 4 p.m.
Exhibition reception and cultural sharing with Children of Takaya Dance Group in Panorama Park. Reception to follow at the Seymour Art Gallery.

Closing Reception: Saturday, September 10, 4 – 6 p.m.
Closing reception and cultural sharing with Children of Takaya Dance Group Panorama Park. Reception to follow at the Seymour Art Gallery. More details and parking information here.

Image Credit: Ocean Hyland

Children of Takaya was exhibited at Part Of Studio in Deep Cove, unceded Tsleil-Waututh lands and waters.

Jordan Gallie

Jordan Gallie is from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and he has a background in graphic design and original handcrafted jewelry. For the past six years, Jordan has been creating First Nations Art. He has a background in North West Coast Jewelry and has completed the Fine Arts program at the Native Education College and Animation Graphic Design program at Capilano University.

Olivia George

Olivia George is a Tsleil-Waututh First Nations artist. Born and raised in North Vancouver, Olivia grew to love art at a young age. Her favoured mediums are acrylic paint on canvas and producing digital designs. After attaining a Graphic Design diploma she has been able to create multiple designs and logos for clients on the North Shore. A couple of major projects were Animal Designs for The North Shore Culture Compass, Season Pass designs for Mount Seymour Resort and medal designs for HSBC Canada Sevens Vancouver. Being a self-taught Coast Salish artist, Olivia always strives to represent a story, an animal, a brand, or any special meaning in a creative, honourable way. Her style is traditional with a simple, modern twist.

Robert George

Robert George’s ancestral name is Tsiyálten, from Tsleil Waututh Nation. He has been making drums for four years and rattles for two years. Robert makes traditional hand drums, double sided drums, remo fiberskyn drums, as well as handheld rattles for both children and adults. He also leads drum and rattle making workshops. Robert not only buys, sells, and trades, but also donates drums and rattles for auctions and fundraisers, or gives them as gifts.

Ocean Hyland

Ocean Hyland is an aspiring artist in the fields of painting, jewellery, carving, weaving and language. Currently she lives at the village Xwkw’laxwum (Qualicum Bay, Vancouver Island). Ocean is of mixed ancestry from Cheam, Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, and Polynesian on her mother’s side. Her father is Irish and Scottish. Passed down from her maternal grandfather she carries the ancestral name Ts’simtelot, which she shares with her mother Charlene Aleck. She has studied at both the Native Education College and at Simon Fraser University taking hands-on programs like the North-West coast jewellery Arts program, learning about art history and contemporary silver jewellery techniques, and then Simon Fraser University’s Language Immersion Diploma program, becoming proficient in the Skwxwu7mesh language.

Jonas Jones

Jonas Jones comes from the village of Átsnach (Tsleil-Waututh) with strong bloodlines running from Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation). His kwshámin (ancestral name), TsuKwalton, comes from the Squamish village of Chʼiyáḵmesh. He is learning and apprenticing under the guidance and support of Ses Siyam (Ray Natraoro), indulging in the Coast Salish laws of art, a system that is passed down from master carver to apprentice. He is honoured to be practicing this craft, as this foundation of art and way of life has been running through his blood for thousands of years. He says, “To live and breathe a little piece of the old people our swa7am (ancestors) is truly a beautiful thing.”

Syvawn Paul

Syvawn comes from a strong line of ancestral blood from Tsleil-Waututh and Sts’ailes. She is entering her grade 12 year and looking forward to her future in the medical field. Syvawn is an A honour roll student. It is natural for Syvawn’s spirit to be enticed to be creative; she is born into a family of artists. Syvawn’s paintings have a sense of hope to express her most vulnerable inner-self and convey the mental health struggles she has faced. Coping with anxiety can have a number of distressing effects on her well-being. One of her ways to accept anxiety and turn the intrusive feelings around is to paint. Focusing on what the mind can articulate onto paper is an outlet to peace.