Temosen-THUT (Charles Elliott) is a member of the Tsartlip First Nation, and was born, raised, and resides in W̱SANEĆ territory on southern Vancouver Island. Temosen-THUT is a Master Carver and fine artist, who has contributed significantly to Coast Salish art and design. As a child, he was inspired by his mother who would carve whistles for the children from the smaller branches of maple trees. Temosen-THUT also paints and has created many serigraph prints. He has a vast body of work, including the Queen’s Baton for the 15th Commonwealth Games, a talking stick for Nelson Mandela, and a Catholic church altar and candlesticks. Temosen-THUT has mentored many emerging artists and contributes actively to his community including 10 years as a band councillor with 2 years as chief. He formerly served as a volunteer on the Parent Advisory Committee of the L̵ÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School. He was one of the founding organizers and curators of the annual Coast Salish Art Exhibition in Saanich. For his leadership in the arts and in his community, Temosen-THUT was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2005. In September of 2020 Temosen-THUT received the Victoria Leadership Award in Arts and Culture. In 2021 he was awarded an Honourary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Victoria.
Temosen-THUT participated in the Visiting Artist Program in 2015.
Communication (Exhibition Installation Image to Come)
There are two frogs at the bottom of this panel and above them is a loon. The main figure is a raven. The human face in the bird’s shoulder joint represents mankind. The human is seen singing a song of unity for all the figures on the carving. The frog represents a connection to the earth. It is the frog who signals new beginnings, such as the spring season. I used the frog on this panel to represent the way the UVic is now working with First Nations artists. I was working as an artist when there was not much art by Indigenous peoples on campus. Then I saw it all start to happen; it was like a new beginning to see more Indigenous art in public places.
The loon on the carving represents the waters: the freshwater and saltwater. The cry of the loon is something that’s special to a lot of people. People say it’s a lonely sound but actually it’s a beautiful sound. Once you hear that you’ll never forget it. All of these creatures are meant to be in communication, so the loon is facing the raven, and the raven’s tongue is out talking, too. The raven is always a messenger: a Trickster or Transformer. Our history tells us that the raven was great for playing tricks on mankind, or anybody who was around, and it’s true they will still do that. In our beliefs, they have the ability to transform into some other deity or object, and not be seen, but just watch us. Communication is a story about these creatures and their relationships and how we can learn from them by singing a song of unity.
In Progress – 2 Spindle Whorls (Exhibition Installation Image to Come)
These two spindle whorls are based on my years of study of these objects in museum and private collections, and what I have learned through my cultural history and teachings. My carving practice has always had a focus on the spindle whorls for their strong design and their importance in Coast Salish culture for the creation of wool garments and regalia. I want to show these works in progress because, as an artist, my work is almost always seen ‘complete’. There is a lot of work and thought that goes into creating carved artworks that becomes hidden once the final piece is revealed. A large part of being an artist over the decades of my life has been about learning and teaching the process of making art true to the W̱SANEĆ style. For me, this means understanding the past and learning from our ancestors, and using this knowledge to create new works that speak to our present day context.