W̱SÁNEĆ Artist creates powerful carving for Congress 2013

Local master carver and artist Charles Elliott is creating a unique podium for the University of Victoria to mark Congress 2013, more than 20 years after he similarly carved a totem pole for the campus when UVic last hosted this prestigious gathering.

More than 7,000 delegates from across Canada are attending the Congress 2013 of the Humanities and Social Sciences at UVic from June 1 to 8.

The podium will be unveiled on June 3 at the First Peoples Circle Celebration and Dedication Ceremony, one of the signature community events that also features a First Nations artisan fair and special musical performances on an outdoor concert stage.

The podium will depict elements of a W̱SÁNEĆ legend connected with lands near the university. A Coast Salish ceremony will accompany the unveiling.

Elliott previously carved the 26-foot high totem pole related to the same legend in 1990, when UVic hosted the Learned Societies, precursor to the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. He has also created several international ambassadorial works such as the Queen’s Baton for the 15th Commonwealth Games in 1994 and a Talking Stick for Nelson Mandela.

Charles W. Elliott is a member of the Tsartlip First Nation Coast Salish Nation, located on the Saanich Peninsula, north of Victoria, BC.

More information on Congress 2013, organized by the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, is available at http://uviccongress2013.ca

Media are invited to interview Elliott and view him carving the podium in his Brentwood Bay studio on Friday May 10, at 10 am. Arrangements can be made by contacting UVic Communications officer Ray Straatsma at ucom2@uvic.ca or 250-818-9266.

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