Port Moody shoreline carving project seeks final translation funds

A seven-year public-art project along Port Moody's shoreline is nearly complete, but artist Tasha Faye Evans is seeking funds for its final stage: translating accompanying material into two Indigenous languages.

Evans' In the Presence of Ancestors project includes five carved Coast Salish house posts along the Shoreline Trail, from Rocky Point Park toward Old Orchard Park. The literature is being finalized in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, Squamish sníchim and English.

The posts were carved by Indigenous artists Xwalacktun OBC, Brent Sparrow, Zachary George, Damien George and Brandon Gabriel. Evans describes the installation as a prayer for the inlet and says it is intended to honour the original caregivers of the land and carry ancestral stories into the community's future.

She said the translation draft followed nearly two years of work with language speakers. A GoFundMe campaign had raised $4,790 toward its $6,000 goal.