Returning to the River
This sculpture by Drew and Phyllis Atkins marks the site of a former seasonal fishing village.
Artists: Drew and Phyllis Atkins
Location: 12155 Musqueam Drive
Category: Private collection
Owner: Lehigh Hanson Materials Ltd.
Year Installed: 2016
About Returning to the River
Returning to the River is a sculpture that marks the site of a former seasonal fishing village (qəyqə́yt village), now home to an Ocean Concrete plant. The name “qəyqə́yt” translates to “resting place” in the language of the Coast Salish People. First Nations fishers and traders—from as far away as Nanaimo, Lummi Washington, and Squamish—shared qəyqə́yt village to camp, harvest, and process fish during the abundant summer months. It is said that the river was so thick with salmon that you could walk on their backs.
Husband-wife artist team Drew and Phyllis Atkins used shapes of red steel to create the outline of a salmon, mounted on a concrete backdrop that represents a woven cedar basket. Their sculpture celebrates the long history of this site and honours the spring salmon.
The artwork was commissioned as an initiative of the Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group to share the culture and history of the Coast Salish Peoples with current residents. It was sponsored by Lehigh Hanson Materials Ltd.
More on qəyqə́yt village
About the Artists
Drew Atkins
Drew Atkins (Nəq̓ɑɬc̓i) is a member of the Kwantlen First Nation community by marriage to his wife and fellow artist, Phyllis Atkins (q̓ʷɑt̓ic̓ɑ’s). He works in many mediums including painting, drawing, carving, and sculpture. He was trained in the Coast Salish carving tradition while apprenticing with his dear friend and mentor Xwa-lack-tun (Rick Harry). Atkins owns and operates K’wy’iye’ Spring Salmon Studio and Gallery in unceded Fort Langley, BC with Phyllis Atkins.
His other public artworks for the City of Surrey are Retro-Perspective and The Rivers that Connect Us.
Phyllis Atkins
Phyllis (Qwoy’tic’a) Atkins is an artist of the Kwantlen First Nation whose name means “I wear the clouds like a blanket” or “Shrouded in clouds.” Her name comes from the Nɬeʔkepmx language and it was given to her by her maternal grandfather Hereditary Chief Anthony Joe of the Shakan Band (Thompson River People). The artist is also part Sto:lo (People of the river). Atkins has taken oil painting lessons from Barbara Boldt and hand-carved silver jewelry lessons by Master Carver Derek Wilson. She is a renowned painter and jeweler at their home on Kwantlen First Nation in Fort Langley.
Her other public artworks for the City of Surrey are Paddling through the Waves of Change, We Are All Connected to This Land, Courage, Strength, and Family, and The Rivers that Connect Us.
