Running her hand down the side of the Reconciliation Pole started by late master carver ?antuni Tony Paul, artist Manuela Salinas explains how she got involved with the project following his death.
“The syiyaya [Reconciliation Movement] reached out to a lot of the community artists and we kind of all gathered together and had deep discussions about how to progress and move forward,” says Salinas. “And everybody had different inputs and ideas, but we wanted to really respect Tony’s vision.”
Salinas attended the unveiling of the pole at Our House of Clans July 6, which included a large crowd, local and visiting dignitaries, and drumming and dancing by members of shíshálh Nation.
She notes each carver who took part has their own individual style, skills and strengths when it comes to artistry, and the pole is a reflection of that.
“That's why you see different areas of the pole specific to different artists, like Shain [Jackson] did that longhouse at the very top and Dionne [Paul] did the residential school, because she's great with working with complex materials,” said Salinas. “And then for me, what I did was a lot of our research and listening.”
St. Augustine’s Residential School in Sechelt was operational from 1904 until 1975, funded by the Government of Canada. During that time, members of more than 50 First Nations attended the institution. ?antuni Tony Paul was a residential school survivor.
Salinas also listened and learned from Squamish master carver xwalacktun [Rick Harry], who in 2022, was brought in to help complete the carving, honouring the original design. Besides Salinas, Jackson and Paul, xwalacktun was assisted by shíshálh Nation members Dion Louie, Eric Hill, Candace Campo and Nievelina Carmona.
Between June 26 and July 4, 2022, the carving site was open for visitors and more than 1,400 people had the opportunity to take part in the pole’s creation.
Salinas, who was recognized at the pole unveiling for her work in helping get the project completed, says in order to be as respectful of the vision and artistry of ?antuni Tony as possible, she researched and studied his completed works found across the Sunshine Coast.
“I wanted to see because he has a very particular style, which is very unique to him, so I wanted to really mimic what he was trying to do and how he was trying to speak it,” says Salinas. “But the master carvers have their visions, so I just started to kind of listen to what they were trying to say through their artwork, and just move forward.”
She says ?antuni Tony had a miniature version of the pole, which she studied in great detail.
“I would spend hours just studying this little pole and every single little detail,” says Salinas. “And there were things that other people didn't see that I caught and if you come to the front, I'll show you.”
Walking to the front of the pole, Salinas points out the two children huddled at the bottom, clutching rosary beads with tears rolling down their cheeks. That section of the pole depicts Cecelia August and Dave Paul, two shíshálh students forced to attend the residential school on the property the pole now towers over.
“The rosaries,” says Salinas, running her hand along the pole. “Then there’s different T-shapes, moons, whatnot. I captured all those tiny little details. And then we were working on how to texturize it. And again, I focused a lot on Tony's goals and his vision and really brought forward what he's already showcased and shared with the world, and I wanted to bring that into this as well. And I guess because I listened so much and I had such an eye for detail, I wanted to step in and bring his spirit and his vision to life. So, every time I made a carve, every time I made a cut or a slice, I always had Tony’s spirit close to my spirit. I was always keeping him in mind and I feel like everybody else around me kind of felt that too.”
After the unveiling, Dale Sankey of syíyaya Reconciliation Movement, described the pole as being 30-feet tall, about 450 years old and carved to represent the dark days of the residential schools to the light of the longhouse at the very top of the pole.
“You can see the suffering of the generations of 51 different nations whose children attended this school over 71 years,” said Sankey of the carving of the children. “Surrounding the children are elders in their regalia and they’re seeking to protect and comfort the children.”
Above the children, the four clans of the shíshálh Nation are depicted — the frog, grizzly bear, wolf and orca. Sankey noted there is one other creature on the pole, which is more difficult to find.
“As many of you know, Tony would often include hummingbirds on his poles,” says Sankey. “There were so many figures on this pole that Tony didn’t find a spot to put a hummingbird, but when we were in the process of completing the pole, we realized the hummingbird was missing.”
Sankey notes, it was Salinas who drew the hummingbird design on the pole and, assisted by her partner Eric, the pair carved it.
The drums at the top of the pole symbolize the four directions, four seasons and four stages of life.
“In Tony’s vision, the drum honours the continuity of language, the arts and the living culture of the shíshálh.”
lhe hiwus yalxwemult (Chief Lenora Joe) described the unveiling of the pole as “emotional.”
“For so long, it was hard to see how the finishing touches would be and it's absolutely beautiful. I think our ?antuni Tony had such an amazing, amazing vision,” yalxwemult told the crowd. “He’s such an amazing artist. It helps he comes from a lineup of hereditary carvers and the detail in his work is just amazing.”
yalxwemult said the fact that more than 14,000 people played a part in this historical journey is “amazing.”
“We're so very proud of that. That in itself spells out reconciliation. Reconciliation is people coming together and making a difference… We would like to thank everybody involved in this. I want to acknowledge all of our hereditary chiefs…”
yalxwemult also thanked the syiyaya Reconciliation Movement, Augustus, community members who supported the project, people from across the province who participated, and everyone who helped fund the project.
“Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.”
