Ust’am (Witness) the Black Eagle Canoe at SFU

Congratulations to MCL PhD student Bryan Wayne Myles of The Bill Reid Centre for Northwest Coast Art Studies at SFU and everyone involved in bringing Bill Reid’s Black Eagle Canoe to its new home at SFU. This article is a great reflection of the very moving comments shared during a witnessing ceremony this week to welcome the canoe. “Speaking about the Loo Taas, Nika Collison said: “It demonstrates our inextricable relationship with the natural, [and] supernatural. This canoe explains the great extent of our ancestors’ and current day artists’ knowledge of physics, engineering, navigation, weather, among many other things.”

Bill Reid's Black Eagle Canoe Witnessing Ceremony | Flickr

Bill Reid’s Black Eagle Canoe Witnessing Ceremony | Flickr

The entire ceremony was documented by Rachel Ward (see below).