Coast Salish Canoe Culture comes to the Vancouver Maritime Museum

(Vancouver Maritime Museum Photo)

The Vancouver Maritime Museum is delighted to announce their latest exhibition from local səlil ̕wətaʔɬ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh artist, Zoe George. Entitled snəxʷəł which means ‘canoe’ in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the exhibition will be displaying traditional canoes, paddles, photographs and a video on the importance of canoe culture.

Visitors will discover the beautiful history of canoeing and learn about some of the cultural traditions of the səlil ̕wətaʔɬ people.

Artist Zoe George says, “I want to share some of the traditional səlil ̕wətaʔɬ aspects of that. This project/exhibit came about from a research grant that I received. I chose to focus on canoeing because it is a huge and important part of my life. From March until September I canoe and war canoe race anywhere from five to six days a week. My səlil ̕wətaʔɬ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh ancestors have kept canoeing alive and I wish to continue this on. I want people to come to this exhibit and understand the beautiful history of canoeing. I also want to share how war canoeing is of large importance in many First Nations communities.”

Vancouver Maritime Museum’s Curator, ermen dellicarpini describes their excitement saying, “I am so excited that the Vancouver Maritime Museum has the opportunity to display the work of Zoe George and to share her show, snəxʷəɬ, which is the hən̓q̓əm̓in̓əm̓ word for canoe, with the many communities that we welcome into the museum. The VMM is honored that we have the opportunity to share a piece of the rich, ongoing history and tradition of canoe culture and war canoe racing in səlilwət (Burrard Inlet) with our visitors.”

snəxʷəł will be on show from May 11^th until November 2024 at the Vancouver Maritime Museum. Paid admission is required, and the museum is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Visit vanmaritime.com for more information and to book advance tickets.