A new Indigenous art piece was unveiled in the entryway of G.P Vanier Secondary School Thursday.
The red cedar carving was created by local first nations artist Karver Everson and depicts a Thunderbird to represent the Pentlatch people, and Queneesh, the Comox Glacier.
Everson said the carving took two months to complete, and he was ecstatic to have been asked by the school to create this piece.
“I hope that [students] can look at it and think about the land they are situated on and think about the Indigenous people here and give them a better understanding of the land that they’re on,” he said.
The unveiling included a traditional blessing ceremony and Everson performed the chief’s peace dance.
Vanier vice principal Lee Mckillican taught Everson at Highland Secondary and had the opportunity to introduce him at the ceremony. He said the artwork is important to symbolize the importance of connections with community and culture.
“That’s one of our goals here is to just keep pushing these connections and realize schooling is a bigger picture than just what happens inside these walls, but that we are connected to everything else outside our school,” he said.
jolene.rudisuela@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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