Unique arts display officially blessed.

On Sept. 24, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations welcomed guest to a unique arts occasion, the blessing of the Ogden Point Land and Sea Mural.

Artists Darlene Gait (Esquimalt Nation) and Butch Dick (Songhees Nation) created the artwork for the mural with the help of a team of six young artists-in-training.

The mural covers the inner and outer wall of the Ogden Point breakwater. The images for the mural are based on centuries-old Songhees and Esquimalt art traditions combined with contemporary elements.

Gait's images represent the "Land" theme and include representations of the gatekeeper (cougar), running deer, raven, and eagle. Each of the images has its own story and spirit. Gait designed the layout of the mural and framed the land and sea under the symbol of the wolf.

"The symbol of the wolf represents both Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The wolf is the symbol of family unity. The spirits of our ancestors live on in those of us who try to bring dignity and nobility back to our people, through honesty, generosity and respect," said Gait.

Butch Dick's images connect with the "Sea" theme and include salmon, the harbour seal, the devil fish (octopus), and the sea monster.

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"I thank the ancestors and elders for their stories and the teachings, and this project is an acknowledgement of their endurance and sustainability. I thank those with vision who see beyond time and into the future, as their vision, creates reality through awareness and enrichment," said Dick.

The mostly Aboriginal youth who made up the team of artists in training currently attend school in Victoria. They painted the designs on panels for the mural under the mentorship of the senior artists and the supervision of project manager Dean Kalyan. The artists-in-training have also created one image that was included in the large mural.

Gait is an international known painter whose work celebrates her culture. Prominent in her work are the animals of the Northwest Coast--bear, eagle, raven, salmon--and are depicted from encounters she has had with them in their environment. She incorporates Coast Salish elements to illustrate the interdependence of her culture and the environment.

She runs the One Moon Gallery and Showroom on the Esquimalt Reserve where you can view the natural world from Gait's unique perspective, a point of view that represents connectedness, strength, harmony and beauty.

Dick is a First Nations art teacher, storyteller, designer, illustrator and carver. The search for balance in life is reflected in his designs, as is the strength that is seen in the animal kingdom.