Skaykay’s Journey to the Land of the Dog Salmon People
Skaykay’s Journey to the Land of the Dog Salmon People, 2026
30" x 90" x 2.5"
Glass beads, beading felt, cedar bark, abalone shells, and archival pigment prints on birch panels
Created for Coast Salish Creation Stories at Tidelands Gallery
This triptych follows Skaykay (Steller’s jay) on her journey to the land of the Dog Salmon People, a journey no human could make. Through layered, in-camera double-exposure photographs taken in the Pacific Northwest, land, water, and memory merge, revealing movement across vast time. Each bird is beaded as an act of honoring, recognizing Skaykay’s strength, intelligence, and perseverance. Across the three panels, she is both seeker and witness, carrying the sacred duty
entrusted to her—and a cedar pack of meat for the child she is trying to find. She reminds us of the power and agency of our animal relatives.
Our creation stories connect us to place, to one another, and to those who came before us. I did not grow up hearing these stories. Learning them as an adult and sharing them with the next generation through this work is both healing and a sacred duty—a way of carrying the story forward, as Skaykay does.
30" x 90" x 2.5"
Glass beads, beading felt, cedar bark, abalone shells, and archival pigment prints on birch panels
Created for Coast Salish Creation Stories at Tidelands Gallery
This triptych follows Skaykay (Steller’s jay) on her journey to the land of the Dog Salmon People, a journey no human could make. Through layered, in-camera double-exposure photographs taken in the Pacific Northwest, land, water, and memory merge, revealing movement across vast time. Each bird is beaded as an act of honoring, recognizing Skaykay’s strength, intelligence, and perseverance. Across the three panels, she is both seeker and witness, carrying the sacred duty
entrusted to her—and a cedar pack of meat for the child she is trying to find. She reminds us of the power and agency of our animal relatives.
Our creation stories connect us to place, to one another, and to those who came before us. I did not grow up hearing these stories. Learning them as an adult and sharing them with the next generation through this work is both healing and a sacred duty—a way of carrying the story forward, as Skaykay does.