x̌ex̌ə tθə sɫeniʔ
(The Sacred Woman)
Created by Lajah Warren
Acrylic, Canvas
This piece tells the story of the intrinsic relationship between our women and land. It honors the land defenders, battling in the frontlines. Grandmother moon represents the strength that we get from our ancestors and land relations. The two bears represent our future children. As my Kookum tells me, bears are the protectors of children. In the middle, stands a woman, on the left is her child, and right is her parent. This work is intergenerational. When I look at this piece, I feel proud. I feel strong. I feel the strength of the generations before me and the generations after me. We are strong. We are caretakers of the land. We are sacred.
About the Artist
Based in Victoria, BC
Lajah Warren tᶱə nə sné. Čsə léʔə nə ɫ lək’ʷəniʔən. John Warren t̓ᶱə nə mén. Deirdre Warren t̓ᶱə nə tén.
My name is Lajah Warren. I am from Lekwungen territory. My father is John Warren and my mother is Deirdre Warren.
My relations here are to the Albany family from the Songhees Nation and the Warren family from the Esquimalt Nation. Originally, we are from the Chilcowitch family group. I also come from European, Cree, Metis, and Ojibwe descent. My father is a Coast Salish artist, who I have watched making paintings and carvings all my life. I am working towards my degree in Child and Youth Care with an indigenous specialization so that I can work within my community to provide an art-based lens to healing. Most of my artwork is inspired by land and water. Creating art has continuously supported me in my healing journey and helps me free myself of different emotions. Painting about people, land, sky, and water reminds me of our interconnectedness and reminds me that I am never alone.
“Outside of my community, the only other place that I grew up seeing Indigenous art was on display in museums, viewed as relics of the past. Where did I fit into this? Why did everyone see us as artifacts? My ancestor’s resilience was never displayed. When I see Indigenous artwork on display today, it is often not meant to breathe life into Indigenous artwork. As an artist, I want to stand in front of my work. I want to tell the stories of what inspired my piece. I want to merge the past and present of Indigenous art so us Indigenous youth become inspired for our future. To me, representation is the act of physically taking up space with my artwork, having people understand the social themes within a piece, and feel the emotions that come with it. ”