See how traditional Indigenous practices are being taught through art

As part of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Kelowna10 is sharing past coverage of Indigenous stories.

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A multi-faceted sculpture that spans three stories in a new building at Okanagan College has been recently unveiled.

The nine-metre-tall sculpture was made of hand-cut metal by a local Indigenous artist from the Penticton Indian Band (SnPink’tn).

In a media release, Okanagan College said the sculpture in the new Health Sciences Centre represents the Four Food Chiefs and depicts the Syilx Okanagan oral history (or captikʷɬ) on how food was given.

They said the goal is to incorporate Indigenous designs into all new buildings, including opportunities for art and cultural installments.

“We’re excited to have such an amazing work of art so prominently displayed,” James Coble, Director of Student Services and Indigenization Task Force Chair at Okanagan College said.

“One of our goals is to use expressions of Indigenous culture, like this one, as a way to initiate meaningful conversations for the benefit of all learners at Okanagan College.”

The project was guided by engagement with Westbank First Nation (WFN) and the WFN Public Arts Committee, with support from GEC Architecture, Faction Projects, and Stuart Olson Construction.

The artist Clint George, whose traditional name is Wapupxn, said the art will create opportunities to explore health and wellness from an Indigenous perspective.

“When I had the opportunity to build a sculpture for the College, especially in Kelowna, I chose one of the most important stories we have, which is our Four Food Chiefs,” George said.

“I think it’s very important when any image of the Four Food Chiefs goes up in the Okanagan or anywhere, that you give it an image that people are going to ask questions about and in that case, it helps teach people about who we are and where we came from.”