Totem 2.0
PUBLIC INSTALLATION
Unveiled in 2025 at the Baumann Centre, Ḵ̓a̱mtila – To Write a New Song was more than a decade in the making. Carved from 14 pieces of second-growth red cedar it reflects both deep cultural tradition and urgent environmental realities.
Conceived as a “totem 2.0,” the project emerged through years of collaboration, including a partnership with Camosun Innovates to develop mechanisms for shaping and assembling the pole. The resulting form honours the ancient practice of totem carving while embracing new ways of working in response to a changing world.
At its core, Ḵ̓a̱mtila speaks to the fragility of our ecosystems and the need for cultural resilience. Western Red Cedar, often called the “tree of life,” cannot survive prolonged droughts — a reality now intensified by climate change, longer fire seasons, and the devastation of old-growth forests. For Indigenous communities whose identity is intertwined with cedar, these losses are profound.
The name Ḵ̓a̱mtila, meaning “to write a new song,” reflects both the urgency and the hope embedded in the work. It calls upon us to honour the past while finding new ways forward — to change our practices, raise our voices, and lead by example, as expressed in the Kwakwaka’wakw concept gawala x̱a ha̱matłala.
