"Lhuxw" (To Flow)

This mural is a depiction of serpents in the flow. They are supernatural beings and guardians of the river here in Snuneymuxw. They represent the teachings, the words that we speak, the stories that we tell, and the love that our ancestors have for us. There is a juxtaposition of symbolism in the imagery, drawing inspiration from my Liberal Studies education, and how serpents represent very different things in Western and Coast Salish tradition. The serpent is what gave the apple of knowledge which caused humans to be cast from the Garden of Eden, it is seen as a malevolent being. Whereas in Coast Salish tradition they are powerful helpers who can benefit or harm us, but they are not seen as malevolent or benign, they exist outside of morality. With that reference, I prod at the eurocentrism of academia and promote decolonization of education.
— Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun