When I did this painting at Stanley Park I was thinking of my sister Simone, and how much fun we used to have together. When we were growing up, we both had very strong beliefs in our culture from my mother, who was constantly reminding us how important it is to understand our heritage.

I was inspired by the Museum of Man near Stanley Park, and I learned a lot about the Musqueam People. I was thinking of this image and could not stop thinking of my sister Simone, and tried to capture the same kind of expression that we had as younger and older sisters, standing side by side.

The two ladies in the front are giggling because they know the poles do not have any meaning for most people, they are just decorations to look at. First Nations people all know that poles tell stories and each pole is representative of a different band. As you can see, the poles behind them are all from different bands, all across the island and the mainland. They call it Stanley Park, but it is important to remember that the Musqueam People once lived there, and these two ladies are from the Musqueam band. They are dressed in the same type of clothing that the Musqueam People used to wear, so I did this piece to remind people of that.

About the Original
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas / Image Size: 22" x 30" / Created: August 2003
Availability: Sold