Fort Langley National Historic Site is situated within the shared traditional lands of the Coast Salish q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), Máthxwi (Matsqui), and Se’mya’me’ (Semiahmoo) First Nations. Community members have connected with one another, since the beginning of time, by canoeing the great stɑl'əw̓ / stó:lō / Fraser River, which flows through their territories, sustaining all beings.
Each of these First Nations has uniquely stewarded ancestral ways of being, doing, and knowing within their lands and waters. Some of these community stories are visually shared with visitors here, on banners which flow in the wind, mimicking the rippling waves of the river.
Every design uplifts the generations of plants, animals, and people that have lived here, taking care of one another over time:
Carlyn Andres highlights the intergenerational and interconnected passing of plant harvesting (berries, wapato), fishing (salmon, sturgeon, eulachon), and weaving knowledge between q̓ic̓əy̓ community members. The river sustains each generation through the seasons, running through the rolling hills of moss and cedar forests leading up to χe:c̓enxʷ (the Golden Ears mountain range), core q̓ic̓əy̓ territory.
qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ artist Atheana Picha honours the sturgeon, Elders of the river, the cattails that protect them in the shallows, and the Thunderbird, watcher of the sky. Thunderbird’s power as a transformer appears as the figure that forms part of its tail. qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ community members and all beings within their territory are protected under its gaze.
Vanessa Serroul centres sqelá:w (beaver), the watcher of the Máthxwi people in her design – connecting the water, lands, and sky. Beaver represents the generations of Máthxwi fishers, carvers, singers, and healers who gather by the river to share stories. Serroul also honours local endangered species (Great Blue Heron, Salmon, Black Swift) who depend on the river for their survival.
Se’mya’me’ artist Joan Williams honours her community’s enduring relationship with the sea, where salmon and traditional fishing nets symbolize both sustenance and resilience across generations and borders. The salmon in the net demonstrate how Se’mya’me’ community members have felt under colonial rule over the past two centuries and the implementation of the reserve/reservation systems that disconnected families in Canada and the United States.
This collection of public artworks reminds us all about our connections and responsibilities to these lands, waters, and to one another. We all need to work together to maintain a healthy balance of use and conservation to collaboratively steward this beautiful place for future generations. They will thank us as we thank and honour those who came before us.
háy ce:p q̓a (Thank you all)
