Andy Everson, Elder
Andy Everson
1972-
K’ómoks/Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw
Date
2018
Medium Specific
Giclee
Edition / State
167/200
Classification
Print
Dimensions
9 11/16 x 7 11/16 in. (24.6 x 19.5 cm)Sheet: 8 1/2 x 11 in. (21.6 x 27.9 cm)
Accession Number
2019.25.20.49
Memo / Artist Statement
I belong to the K’ómoks First Nation and we are deep into the British Columbia treaty process. I truly have mixed feelings about our involvement in this. By choosing to engage in the process, we enter a world of consultants and negotiators and other strange, scary and wonderful creatures. We partake in a world of borrowing and debt; of meetings and fights. We enter without knowing whether we are journeying into the dark side or are on a path towards the light.
What I do know is that under the treaty process, our community has begun to fracture. Our very future as a people is at stake. Will treaty define who we are or will our culture do that? Will treaty lead us to form a “Treaty Empire” or a “Treaty Rebellion”?
The backbone of our community has always been our elders--the keepers of our traditions...the knowledgeable ones. We look up to them with their deep-set wrinkles and greyed hair. We look into their eyes and see experience and wisdom. We listen to ancient stories falling from their lips and we hear recollections of the way things were and the way things ought to be.
Yet, we often overlook this wisdom. We think we know it all. We live in modern times and the elders’ outdated ways are for the past. We get our elders out to meetings and pay them in order to validate anything we want to push through our treaties. Give up traditional governance? Sure! Relegate traditional ways to insignificance? Of course! However, true elders can’t and won’t be bought. They will speak up for the old ways because the old ways are all that differentiate us from the rest of the world. I trust that our elders will use their wisdom to keep us on the right path and put strength back into our community.
What I do know is that under the treaty process, our community has begun to fracture. Our very future as a people is at stake. Will treaty define who we are or will our culture do that? Will treaty lead us to form a “Treaty Empire” or a “Treaty Rebellion”?
The backbone of our community has always been our elders--the keepers of our traditions...the knowledgeable ones. We look up to them with their deep-set wrinkles and greyed hair. We look into their eyes and see experience and wisdom. We listen to ancient stories falling from their lips and we hear recollections of the way things were and the way things ought to be.
Yet, we often overlook this wisdom. We think we know it all. We live in modern times and the elders’ outdated ways are for the past. We get our elders out to meetings and pay them in order to validate anything we want to push through our treaties. Give up traditional governance? Sure! Relegate traditional ways to insignificance? Of course! However, true elders can’t and won’t be bought. They will speak up for the old ways because the old ways are all that differentiate us from the rest of the world. I trust that our elders will use their wisdom to keep us on the right path and put strength back into our community.
Biography
Andy Everson was born in Comox, BC in 1972 and named Na̱gedzi after his grandfather, the late Chief Andy Frank of the K’ómoks First Nation. Andy has also had the honour of being seated with the ‘Na̱mg̱is T̓sit̓sa̱ł'walag̱a̱me' name of Ḵ̓wa̱mxa̱laga̱lis I'nis. Influenced heavily by his grandmother, he has always been driven to uphold the traditions of both the K’ómoks and Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw First Nations. In this regard, Andy has pursued avenues where he can sing traditional songs and perform ceremonial dances at potlatches and in a number of different dance groups, most notably the Le-La-La Dancers, the Gwa'wina Dancers and the K’umugwe Dancers.
Pursuing other areas of traditional culture has also led Andy to complete a Master’s degree in anthropology. Because the K’ómoks First Nation lies on the border between the larger Salish and Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw realms, his thesis focused on notions and expressions of contemporary Comox identity. His work in anthropology provided him with a background in linguistics which subsequently inspired him to create a company, Copper Canoe, Inc, that specialized in the creation of Aboriginal language media.
Andy feels that his artwork stands on par with these other accomplishments. Although he began drawing Northwest Coast art at an early age, Andy's first serious attempt wasn’t until 1990 when he started designing and painting chilkat-style blankets for use in potlatch dancing. From these early self-taught lessons, he has tried to follow in the footsteps of his Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw relatives in creating bold and unique representations that remain rooted in the age-old traditions of his ancestors. The ability to create and print most of his own work has allowed Andy to explore and express his ancestral artwork in a number of contemporary ways.
http://www.andyeverson.com
Pursuing other areas of traditional culture has also led Andy to complete a Master’s degree in anthropology. Because the K’ómoks First Nation lies on the border between the larger Salish and Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw realms, his thesis focused on notions and expressions of contemporary Comox identity. His work in anthropology provided him with a background in linguistics which subsequently inspired him to create a company, Copper Canoe, Inc, that specialized in the creation of Aboriginal language media.
Andy feels that his artwork stands on par with these other accomplishments. Although he began drawing Northwest Coast art at an early age, Andy's first serious attempt wasn’t until 1990 when he started designing and painting chilkat-style blankets for use in potlatch dancing. From these early self-taught lessons, he has tried to follow in the footsteps of his Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw relatives in creating bold and unique representations that remain rooted in the age-old traditions of his ancestors. The ability to create and print most of his own work has allowed Andy to explore and express his ancestral artwork in a number of contemporary ways.
http://www.andyeverson.com
Date of Bio