River of Reconciliation #21 

Namwayut 

2022-04-13 | Mix media 

Angelina Sharma  

 

Namwayut is a piece that was extremely exciting to create as it is meaningful and will touch individuals’ lives. My approach in making this beauty was to make something abstract, I find abstract art can be viewed differently and it stands out from most arts. I decided I would use glass because of the different shapes I could use for intricate detail, the shine, and the meaning of using glass which I will get more in-depth with further on. This piece is used with a variety of media, the base is wood, followed up with an acrylic outline of the design so the color would pop through the clear colored glass, and lastly topped with beautiful pieces of glass both yellows and greens. There were some challenges along the way however I continued to push through and get passed the complications that had occurred, going along with one of the themes in this project you could say I persevered.  

The meaning behind the name Namwayut and why I chose it lies with the Kwak ‘Wala language of the First Nations Peoples. The word Namwayut comes from their language and is a very powerful word that translates to “We are all one”, this resembles unity between all people. As far as my choice of media (glass) I view the glass as broken pieces united, sharp and painful, delicate yet strong, different but together. All these things reminded me of the past and new beginnings between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Their past was very sharp and painful but gradually over the years through the steps towards reconciliation they have been able to achieve unity, and progress to their healing and becoming one as a country. We are all stronger together no matter how different we are every piece of the puzzle is needed in creating something beautiful just like glass.