Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol: Coastal Semi-finals

CBC

3 days ago

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There's a certain symbolism in the fact that three of the four coastal finalists left in the Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol have had shifting symbolism to different people over British Columbia's history.
Totem poles, Cowichan sweater, and Northwest Coast art are all creations of Indigenous people, albeit from different First Nations — the sweater from the Cowichan Tribes on Vancouver Island, totem poles predominantly from First Nations along the Central Coast, while Northwest Coast art comprises Indigenous designs and themes up and down the B.C. coast.
All are admired by British Columbians, and have been treasured by artists, fashion designers and museums for their unique designs.
And yet, in different ways, they were all used to sell the concept of British Columbia to the world, at a time when the people creating them were having their rights eroded.
"I think with Northwest Coast art in general, a lot of the cultural context was lost when these things were put on display and sold on the art market," said Jordan Wilson, curator for Pacific Northwest and contemporary Indigenous art at the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology.
"These things were presented as either ethnographic curios — 'Oh, look at these strange things that these strange people made' — to works of art to be appreciated purely for their visual form."
It's a contrast noted by historians who specialize in Canadian symbols.
"Ironically, you are suppressing the very culture that you are then turning around, elevating and celebrating as being distinctly Canadian," said Michael Dawson, author of Symbols of Canada.
That past is in Wilson's mind when he considers what British Columbians might choose as the province's best symbol.
At the same time, he recognizes the work that goes into the works of art.
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"On one hand, I want to really highlight that history of dispossession, of colonial theft, of land, of culture," he said, when asked how he feels when tourists gather to see the totem poles at Stanley Park.
"On the other hand, there was and is a sense of agency in terms of our ancestors and the artists in our communities who make the choice to actively engage and to respond to a changing world."
What will make the quarterfinals?
Of course, there are 13 other symbols remaining in the Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol, including the Nanaimo bar, the other entry left in the coastal section of the bracket.
Today's winners will enter the quarterfinals, joining the orca and spirit bear from the animal section, the Western redcedar and Dogwood flower from the nature section, along with the two winners in Thursday's provincial matchups.
Voting in today's round closes at 10 p.m. PT.