Two pieces of art created by Ahousaht artist Sam Haiyupis are being shown in an exhibit that explores racism, discrimination and inclusion.
Annually, March 21 commemorates the United Nations Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is also the day that the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society hosted a reception at Nanaimo’s Port Theatre for Journey to Inclusion: Moving from Racism to an Inclusive Society, an art show that runs through the month of April at the theatre.
Art pieces were created in partnership between professional artists and community participants. The pieces reflect an amalgamation of the artist’s technique with the community participant's experience with discrimination.
The idea was to explore what inclusion looks like through the participants' eyes.
Haiyupis is an artist whose work has been displayed by the Royal British Columbia Museum, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and in the pages of Contemporary Art of the North West Coast book publication.
He first heard of the Journey to Inclusion project through a family support worker at Tillicum Haus Native Friendship Centre in Nanaimo.
Haiyupis submitted his application along with his portfolio and was eventually selected and paired with a community member.
Mamadou Ndiaye is from Senegal, West Africa. He was paired with Haiyupis and their task was to get to know one another. They would discuss their experiences with racism, their cultures and then they would decide on an art piece that reflects their mutual thoughts about the subject.
“We are similar in our backgrounds and culture,” said Haiyupis. Through their visits they learned that each culture placed a strong emphasis on respect for elders, respect for others and each culture practiced ceremonies that celebrate the milestones of life. Haiyupis said each ceremony has a name but most use the word potlatch when it comes to Nuu-chah-nulth cultural celebrations.
“As we were getting to know one another Mamadou would start telling his story but then it would always come back to racism against First Nations people and he would say the whole world knows about it,” said Haiyupis.
“He seemed more concerned that our stories needed to be brought out.”
The pair finally decided on a subject when they answered the question, how do we think we can move forward (away from racism) as a community?
“We agreed that we need to continue to educate the younger people about culture and respect,” said Haiyupis.
Their piece would be a wooden rattle carved in the shape of a Nuu-chah-nulth dugout canoe. Both cultures have canoes, rattles, drums and masks.
The back of the canoe features an older person with a paddle steering the canoe. It symbolizes an older person guiding the younger generation. At the bow of the canoe is another figure with arms held high in praise to the Creator. It symbolizes a shared cultural belief in spirituality and a higher power.
“Some people make the mistake of believing that culture only means drumming and singing,” said Haiyupis, adding culture goes far deeper than that.
“We both recognize the importance of nature in our cultures and our work reflects that,” said Haiyupis.
When it comes to racism Haiyupis recalls his first experience at the tender young age of six.
“We had just moved from Ahousaht to Port Alberni and I would get teased at school for being dark; I would come home crying,” he recalled.
Sam remembers sitting in the bathtub scrubbing and scrubbing as he cried.
When his mother Daisy asked him what was wrong he asked her why his skin had to be so brown. Daisy took her young son to his grandmother Pawatsquii where he would learn a valuable lesson.
Pawatsquii asked young Sam several times if he loved his grandmother, to which he would always reply yes. “Look at my dark skin; it’s the same as yours; the blood in your body is not only yours but it comes from me, too,” she told him.
“I don’t remember her exact words but she told me to take the love I had for her and put it in myself for me, and after that the teasing didn’t really bother me anymore,” said Haiyupis.
Sam, wanting to share a different perspective about the races, told a story about his grandfather, whose name was Haiyupis. There was a time when the District of Indian Affairs was recording names of all the Aboriginal families.
“When they couldn’t figure out a way to spell a name they gave the person an English name that they could spell,” Sam explained.
Grandfather Haiyupis was standing in line looking worried. When asked what was wrong he said he could not think of a name to give the DIA agent.
“His friend from Scotland offered to use his name, Sutherland,” said Sam. To this day some of the Haiyupis family still uses the name Sutherland.
Haiyupis is grateful for his experience with the Journey to Inclusion Project. He gained something positive.
“I went in as an artist then realized I sometimes had tendencies to stereotype, to joke around about these things. Now I’m reluctant to partake in that,” he said.
