— SALMC N HOUSE
aldonpile froth tofod

PROUD SPONSORS OF COHO.’96

and hosts of the Coho Festival Reception

2229 | Folkestone Way |

SUSSEX

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Come and visit us at
the “Sussex” sponsored
| Beer Gardens
at Ambleside Park

7397 Marine Dr., 925-291 1

West V Vancouver:

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LAGE OF -TAHSIS WILEAGE OF TAHSIS

BW <= .ViCKAGE OF TAHSIS'VILLAGE.OF-TAHSIS:

Nisga’a regard the sacred fish
as their renewing sign oflife ~

By Layne Christensen
Community Reporter

SO venerable is the
salmon to the Nisga’a
people that they count
it with a distinct sct of
numbers.

“The salmon has always
been a very, very important
creature to us,” said promi-
nent Nisga’a artist. Norman
Tait, who is best known for
his totems and carvings. “It’s
a sign of new life.”

“When the spring, salmon
comes back up the river to
spawn it is a sign that winter
is over and the native people
will be assured of food for
another year,” he explained.

Tait has created the image
for this year’s Coho Festival,
which takes place on the
shores of the Capilano River
Sunday, Sept. 8.

The goal of the festival,
new in its 17th year, is to cel-
ebrate the return of the
salmon to Narth Shore
streams and to raise aware-
ness and funds for salmonid
enhancement programs.

LLAGE DF TAHSIS”..VILLAGE-OF TAHSI

aifis over vee

Lon

The festival's goats are in
line with that of the Nisga’a,
who have always celebrated
the salmon run, “In raising
hopes for (the salmon’s) sur-
vival, the festival is very
important,” said Tait.

The 55-year-old artist
hails from the Nass River
region of Northern B.C.
where he learned the legends
and ceremonies of the
Nisga’a from his elders. It
wasn’t until arriving in
Vancouver in *71 that he
picked | up the art of carving,

owever, Today, his totems
stand tall in Chicago,
Phoenix, Osaka and Bushy
Park, England. Closer to
home, they can be viewed in
Stanley Park, Capilano Mall
and the Museum of
Anthropology at U.B.C.

Last September = Tait
opened a studio and gallery
in Dundarave. It is called
Wilp’s -Tsa-ak Gallery,
Nisga’a for “House of the
Mischievous Man.”

Tait’s “Spirit of the
Coho” design is a traditional
Nisga’a motif that has been
reproduced on T-shirts and
limited-edition prints. The
original is on a ceremonial
drum, drawn by Tait’s carv-

ing (and life) partner Lucinda, °

‘Turner and painted by Tait. .
_ The tri-color image is rich
in syrnbolism, The “little
creature” inside the salmon’s
belly is the spirit. Lost at sea
for four years, the salmon
“returns to.the streams to
awn. “The body dies and
c spirit finds a new egg to
-enter,” said Tait.
Symbolism extends | to the

has made it 4 key part of the anual salmon calebre:,
tion. Artists whose work has graced past, festival fF:
shirts: Include .Maurice :Nahanee.-and ' Danial:

Norrnan Tait labovel fe is tho creator of this. yoar's ‘nage:

image %s colors: : .
“Black ‘reminds. us ‘of the “

‘devastating death ‘during’ a
eC

flood on the Nass River many _
generations ago. Red is: the...
life that comes back, Blue-

“green connects. us and: the;

Earth and the spirit world,” an
explained the artist.)

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