A powerful event was held last week at Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary, as a pair of owl-themed house poles were unveiled and awakened during a ceremony honouring the school, school's namesake, as well as artist Brandon Gabriel and his family.
On May 14, Gabriel - a Kwantlen First Nation artist and nephew of Donna Gabriel Robins, who the school is named for - helped unveil the two poles, which he and fellow carvers Lekeyten Antone and Luther Puglas have worked on for many months.
Speaking to students, parents and district and school staff after a blanketing ceremony honoured not just himself but his wife and young children, Gabriel explained the process of finding the perfect tree from which to carve the poles, as well as what they represented.
Both poles - which match the school's owl mascot - stand outside the front entrance to the Willoughby slope elementary school, welcoming visitors. The school opened in 2021, and the process to commission and install house poles has been ongoing since.
"It was a beautiful way to kind of celebrate the school and the community, and what we're trying to grow here," said Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary principal Nathan Erker.
Also attending the ceremony was the school's former principal Phillis Giovani, who retired last year.
"Having Brandon here to explain his artwork was just the piece that put it all together," Giovani said. "It was a wonderful experience, and for him to make the owls is very, very special because that is what Donna chose at the mascot for the school."
In addition to Gabriel speaking, Donna Gabriel Robins also spoke during the ceremony, while drummers performed a number of traditional songs. As well, the new poles, once unveiled, were awakened' by brushing them with cedar boughs.
"It served as a tremendous learning opportunity for the kids to understand the processes and the protocols that go that are involved in celebrating someone like Brandon," Erker said.
"I think it goes a long way to taking steps towards that truth and reconciliation and kind of what the actual goal of that was to be."
--
