Gelgelalus Píxemcal – Talon Pascal, LIL’WAT

June is National Indigenous History Month and the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler is featuring Artists of Our Nations throughout the month.

Explains the SLCC: “Indigenous Artists can be wayfinders to the past and creators of the future. Practicing culture, singing songs, and storytelling true history through art forms that were once made illegal. The Indigenous artists of today play an important role in reclaiming and sharing lost line forms, history, and practices. These artists may also take a contemporary lens to their traditions, pushing the beholder to see the truths in both the past and today.” 

This image is from the SLCC’s recent Artists of Our Nations project and features the striking stance of Gelgelalus Píxemcal – Talon Pascal. A primitive life practitioner; he specializes in creating essential tools including arrowheads, bows and tanning hides. He works with many types of stones; flint, glass and obsidian, he can tan a range of animal hides; deer, sheep, and fish skin. 

Gelgelalus Píxemcal is still a teenager (he was born in 2005), his dream is to walk the path of his ancestors. He began studying archaeology very young and has progressed to volunteering his time at Lil’wat Nation archaeology projects during the summers working with Johnny Jones a Cultural Technician for the Lil’wat Nation and Bill Anglebeck a professor at Douglas College.

He self-taught, he has sought Elder’s advice, studies books, YouTube and trial and error to improve his skills of bow making and knapping. He has taken an immersive course to tan hides.

Gelgelalus Píxemcal’s goal is to restore the ancestral skills of his people.

Artists of Our Nation is made possible through a generous grant from the @bcartscouncil.