INDIVIDUALS SELF-IDENTIFYING AS INDIGENOUS – VISITORS PASS FREE

cnéwelc: “follow a trail”

An exhibition of intergenerational Indigenous art.

Curated by Csetkwe Fortier and Erin Stodola

The Salmon Arm Museum at R.J. Haney Heritage Village co-curated with Secwépemc/Syilx artist, Csetkwe Fortier, present the exhibition cnéwelc: “follow a trail”. The exhibition showcases the late Daphne Odjig, who helped clear the path for today’s Indigenous artists such as co-exhibiting Secwépmec artists Tania Willard, Manuel Axel Strain, Sean Stiller, and Csetkwe Fortier. This collection of Odjig’s works have been generously entrusted for this special exhibition by members of the Shuswap community.

Viewers are invited to walk through the Montebello Gallery on a trail of aromatic cedar and take in moments of reflection with art created from and for Indigenous resistance, relationship to land, kinship and resilience. Follow the exhibition’s path and experience Odjig’s renowned originals and prints, Willard’s captivating multi-medium instillations, Strain’s visionary oils on canvas, Stiller’s immersive film, and Fortier’s sentimental acrylics on linen.

cnéwelc will run from May 17 through September 16, 2023 in the Montebello Gallery, located within the McGuire General Store building.

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Imagine being born at the end of W.W.1, living in a house without electricity or plumbing, on a reserve near Chase, B.C. Baby Mary Allen was one generation away from experiencing traditional Secwepemc living. Her parents spoke Secwepemcstin. They had seen their world change and Mary Allen was going to witness more changes.

At the age of six Mary was sent off to Kamloops Indian Residential School. Besides learning how to steal food at the school, Mary learned another skill - how to lie her way out of a situation if caught.

An arranged marriage, widowhood, remarriage, and widowhood for a second time followed Mary Thomas' education at Kamloops Residential School. A journey of healing began when Mary Thomas found soul mate Frank Krauchi and the couple moved to Kelowna. In Kelowna Mary met Kelowna Museum Curator Ursula Surtees and was offered a job doing research to create a school program.

"The more I learned about my culture, the values and philosophy…it started to change me. I began to change and that’s what I call my journey to healing," Dr. Mary Thomas said.

Dr. Mary Thomas recognized that all people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, had to work together to solve conservation and environmental problems.

Meet a few of the people who Dr. Mary Thomas influenced and see how her work continues through them.

This exhibit runs until September 16th, 2023.
Photo credit: Dr. Robert D. Turner

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Eden '73

In the fall of 1973, the weather in Salmon Arm was unseasonably warm and dry. Daytime temperatures were reaching the mid-20s with much cooler nights, leading to strong evening downslope winds. One afternoon, during Fall Fair weekend, two controlled burns were lit. Wind caused the fire to spread and travel quickly down the east slope of Fly Hills. The catastrophic fire resulted in the burning of over 16,000 acres of land, 16 homes, and dozens of buildings.