Sulsa’meethl and Tousilum began to collaborate on projects focused on weaving with cedar in the late 1990s. Weaving is a family activity, from the harvesting of cedar to the preparation of the bark for weaving. The experience of weaving is more than creating an object, it has been about the transfer of cultural knowledge between generations, and shared with audiences eager to learn. It is about connecting with the land. Sulsa’meethl began work as Coast Salish Cultural Protocol Liaison at UVic in 2008, and Tousilum joined the Elders in Residence at the university in 2009. Now mostly retired, Sulsa’meethl and Tousilum have turned their attention to re-establishing the presence of Quw’utsun Nation at the village site of Xwaaqw’um, also known as Burgoyne Bay on Saltspring Island. Xwaaqw’um is the former permanent location of 5 Salish longhouses. It is an ecologically and culturally rich landscape that is the centre of their teaching about contemporary land and cultural practices. Over the last ten years Sulsa’meethl and Tousilum have studied collections of weaving in multiple westcoast museums in the United States and Canada. They have led workshops on cedar weaving for diverse audiences, made regalia for cultural ceremony, including regalia for Quw’utsun Elders who participate in annual Elders’ gatherings.

Sulsa’meethl and Tousilum participated in the Visiting Artist Program in 2016.

A Mark in Time  (Exhibition Installation Image to Come)

This weaving speaks to the intentions of Salish men and women who have left marks through time on the land, and in the form of cultural objects. Woven by Susa’meethl with cedar prepared by Touslium, this piece reflects the evolution of what Susa’meethl calls “our marks as Salish peoples” – from long ago carved marks in stone, to pictographs, to the creation of patterns and the use of colour in woven objects using cedar and wool.  In her words:

“We can never know what the creator of these marks meant specifically, but we can honour their intentions, and learn from their traces of work. I think particularly about the work of women, and what it has meant for me to hold their works that are now in museum collections and learn from them. We are taught that these gifts of knowledge are for us to share, and so this is what I do through my love of teaching.

When I work with cedar, I am mindful of the blessing it is to work with the cedar tree – this Tree of Life. It is a precious resource that is dying out. For us, it is the lifeline of our culture – our houses, stories, language, garments… so much came from and continues to be created through, this tree. It makes me sad to think about the struggle of the cedars now, and the loss of old growth forests. We can learn much about our place in the world by standing in a cedar grove. I reflected on all these connected ideas and histories as I wove this piece. It is my own reflection on leaving my mark in time.”