Indigenous artists are joining the Lunar New Year celebrations through their lantern designs.
Their works can be found at Jack Poole Plaza, the newest location for Lantern City, an annual Lunar New Year festival that expands the concept of celebrations with families, to communities with different cultural backgrounds.
Huge totem-like lanterns are spread out across three locations. This year’s theme is about getting lost in nature.
“This year we have two Indigenous artists from Canada and two Indigenous artists from Taiwan. So it’s not only a bridging of cultures for Indigenous artists to celebrate this Asian tradition with us, we’re also bringing cultures from across the oceans together.” – Becky Tu, Social Media Manager, Asian-Canadian Special Events Association
Ovila Mailhot, a Coast Salish graphic artist, designed the Eagles and The Sun lantern. Based in the U.S for three years now, he says, the main inspiration comes from missing British Columbia.
“I’m so proud about that design in particular because a design like that- the eagle surrounding the sun, is inspired from some of the Coast Salish spindle whorls. The artifacts, the ancestral designs that I learned from. I love the beauty of Coast Salish art that my ancestors left for us to learn from.” – Ovila Mailhot, Graphic Artist (Nlaka’pamux / Sto:lo Nation)
The four eagles surrounding the sun are not only about balance and symmetry. Mailhot says it also represents part of his culture. During ceremonies he says they pray to the ancestors of four directions. They also use four plant medicines- sage, sweetgrass, tobacco, and cedar.
Mailhot says he feels Coast Salish art is all about storytelling, and it’s this beauty he wants to share to everyone, grateful for the opportunity to present his art along with other artists through the festival.
Tu says Lunar New Year is traditionally 15 days but this year, they’re expanding the celebrations for an entire month to extend the celebratory feeling just a little bit more.
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