Towards the bottom-left-hand side of N̓kakíhen Qestíts̓a7 Vania Stager's latest mural, is a young girl blowing a dandelion. The seeds drift across the rest of the mural—floating between drawings representing Lil’wat legends and over the Ts’zil mountain range known to settlers as Mount Currie.
“She’s based on one of my relatives, Loretta Stager, that died in Saint Mary's residential school in Mission in 1957 when she was 12 years old,” explained Vania. “She's like an angel, and she's blowing a dandelion wish flower because she could only dream to go to a school like this, where she and the others could speak their language and learn their culture.”
Vania is a graduate of the Xet̓ólacw Community School (XCS), to whom she has gifted the mural. And while she doesn’t have any formal artistic training, she credits the school with giving her a chance to develop her painting skills. The new mural—kw7íkwl̓acwmin Xet̓ólacw skul, or "Dreams of Xet̓ólacw School"—is her fifth piece.
Lil’wat legends
The three-piece mural, designed and painted with funding from the Pemberton Arts Council, depicts Vania’s experience as a student, parent of a student, and former culture and language worker at XCS.
Just in front of Loretta Stager sits a ts̓la7 (berry-picking) basket. “It’s bursting with the magic of our culture,” explains Vania. “And spreading out from [the basket] are rock pictograph designs from our territory.”
Around the picking basket are representations of Lil’wat legends, including á7en̓was nk̓yápa (the two coyotes) and Nk̓yap múta7 ts̓úqum̓a (Coyote and the Chickadee).
Moving toward the centre of the mural, you’ll see representations of Snéqwem múta7 t̓ánam̓ten (The Sun and the Moon), hovering over the valley’s most imposing mountain range. Just below is the story of I wa7 saqw̓sqw̓ezézwes (The Flying Brothers), etched into the face of Ts’zil.
“They were warriors that had supernatural power,” recounts Vania. “With their spiritual training, they could run up a mountain just to say a prayer and then come back down for the rest of their training.”
At the bottom-right, you’ll find some caricatures of influential figures in Vania’s own story. Taking centre stage is Vania’s niece, Kakwíkwes Isabelle Stager, another former student at XCS.
“She’s my muse!” exclaims Vania with a smile. Isabelle was on hand to commemorate the mural’s completion.
Alongside Vania’s niece are students and language teachers and a former principal from the immersion school. The salmon being tended to at the bottom right of the mural represents an annual barbecue tradition at the Lil’wat Land School.
Vania also wanted to show what life would have been like for her ancestors. Above the XCS staff on the mural is a cut-out version of a winter house dwelling, or S7istken. The mother and child inside are based on Vania and her son, Shikari King Málhaltsem Qestíts̓a7. The baby rests inside a tsépalin basket made of cedar roots, cherry bark and canary grass. A grandmother is climbing out with a ts̓la7 basket hanging from her forehead.
Vania doesn’t just want her mural to be nice to look at. She hopes teachers at XCS might one day use it in their lesson plans.
“It's an interactive learning tool where they can share stories of the legends, they can point out things in the language and they can talk about our practices,” she says. ”And they can sit with it outside—on Truth and Reconciliation Day, on Orange Shirt Day—and they could honour my relative Loretta.”
Gifting the mural to XCS
Together, the mural’s three panels stand eight feet tall and 12 feet wide. Vania’s not sure yet where the school plans to put the mural, but she made sure to paint with exterior house paint and caulk around the edges to reinforce the work against water in case they’re looking to mount it outside.
“I was very nervous to share my art with the community,” Vania wrote to Pique after the event. “Most of my art I give to my family or I keep it in my house. I felt so nervous and vulnerable sharing this, but I was also excited, it was painted with love and my cherished memories of the school.”
The mural was unveiled in the XCS gymnasium to students on June 13—the last day of school. The afternoon was marked by speeches, singing and drumming by students, staff and Lil'wat Chief Dean Nelson.
“I sing in my language,” Vania told the assembled students. "I learned how to speak my language here at the Xet̓ólacw school. Speaking that language gives us strength.”
XCS principal Rosa Andrew received the mural on behalf of the school.
“We really want to thank you for sharing with us your beautiful voice, her story about being a student here at the school, and the importance of learning your language, learning your culture, learning your identity and being proud,” said Andrew.
“It’s very important to be proud of who you are.”
