The Canadian national team hung on for a stressful 3-2 victory in overtime. Sidney Crosby provided the heroic score on Sunday, seven minutes and 40 seconds into the extra period. The hockey win also gave Canada’s 14th gold of the Vancouver Games, breaking the record for most gold medals at a Winter Olympics!
As an avid hockey fan, Andy Everson could not represent Canada’s national sport with only one animal. Instead he chose three: a ram for the big hitters, a wolf for the shooters and a bear for the goalie.
Andy included “Ram” in his “Sprits of Snow & Ice Collection” as it there are few more powerful images than that of two male bighorn sheep, or rams, squaring off in combat amidst towering mountain ranges. Of course, the reason for this display of athletic strength and prowess is ultimately to show dominance and win over their choice of female. Lining up and lowering their heads, rams run straight toward their opponents to smash horns with one another. To the victor go the spoils, they say.
Nothing emits a louder “whoa” while watching hockey than seeing an opponent getting bowled over after receiving a devastating body check. Distracted with the puck, the receiver of the blow is caught unawares, unknowingly lined up for the hit. With the grace of a freight train, the checker plows into his opponent and literally knocks him away from the puck. Victor… spoils….
Andy Everson is an Ambassador for Aboriginal Tourism BC and Kla-how-ya Village at the Pan Pacific. He is a Northwest Coast visual artist and a performer with Le-La-La Dancers for the Cultural Olympiad. His “Raven” art print was recently presented to Alex Bilodeau for winning a gold medal in freestyle skiing for Canada.
As a special request for Jon Montgomery, gold medalist in Skeleton for Canada, Andy will complete his “Seal” print as a commemorative piece. His “Bear” print, a silhouette of a hockey goalie was also gifted to CNN President. “Raven” and “Bear” are part of the “Spirits of Snow & Ice Collection” released in January of 2010 and printed by Andy Everson at Copper Canoe, his studio in Comox, BC.
It is fitting that the final game is hockey, Andy’s favourite sport, with Canada taking home the gold for its national sport and for winning the gold record for Winter Games 2010.
“Ram” by Andy Everson, a commemorative piece for the Canada hockey gold win
For more information and to see the art prints, please contact:
Liza Lee at 778.238.2024 or email her at Liza@Lizajlee.com.
Andy was also interviewed in the Vancouver Sun on February 26, 2010
Dancer shares the story of his road home
Andy Everson was forced to grow up off the reserve after his mother married a non-aboriginal – by Kim Pemberton
Native artist and dancer Andy Everson is deeply involved with his culture, but his path wasn’t an easy one because of a past law in Canada that stigmatized aboriginal women who married non-aboriginal men.
Everson, who is from the Comox Band, at one time wasn’t even allowed to live on reserve after his mother married a Norwegian man.
By doing so, she and her children lost their Indian status. According to Canadian federal law at the time, if an aboriginal man married a non-aboriginal woman she gained Indian status, but if the opposite happened the woman lost her status. After the Indian Act was amended in 1985, Everson’s mother was able to regain her status, as were her children.
“It defines who I am now,” said Everson, who gives no hint of malice about the injustice. Though his family was “essentially kicked off” the reserve land, he still felt a part of the community.
Most of his childhood was spent in Courtney, but he would still attend potlatches growing up. Everson learned the values and ways of his people from his grandmother, who as a child lived in a traditional Big House and carried on her people’s ancient traditions right up until her death at 99 years of age.
“When I was young our culture wasn’t thriving as much as it is now but it was always around,” said Everson, 37. “I started to get really involved as a teenager when I started to go to more potlatches and spend a lot of time with my grandmother. I’m really glad I did now. There were a lot of things to learn and she taught me my responsibilities and roles as a member of my community.”
Everson, who is part of the famous Hunt family, was able to spend more time with his grandmother after his mother regained her Indian status and they were allowed to move onto the reserve.
He went on to university and got his master’s degree in anthropology, which he saw as a “good fit” because of his aboriginal background. He wrote his thesis about contemporary K’omox Identity.
Since 1993 he has been a dancer with the LeLaLa Dancers, a traditional dance company from northern Vancouver Island. He is also an artist, producing two dimensional prints in a style that mixes Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw, from Comox north.
The dance troupe has been performing regularly throughout the Winter 2010 Olympics at the Pan Pacific Hotel, which has been the site of many aboriginal cultural performances and demonstrations organized by the Aboriginal Tourism Association of B.C.
Everson’s artwork is on display at the Aboriginal Artisan Village and Business Showcase, situated in the lobby of the Vancouver Community College, one block north of the Aboriginal Pavilion. The artist said he has been happy to see the aboriginal culture gain acceptance and understanding at the Games.
“For the most part, the involvement of aboriginal people was an eye opener to a lot of the world. That we exist and the indigenous people of Canada are quite diverse. You could see that at the opening ceremony. There was a wide variety of regalia and dance styles. The legacy is we’re still here,” he said.
kpemberton@vancouversun.com © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Dancer and artist Andy Everson performs beside the Raven’s Song canoe inside the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver.
Photograph by: Arlen Redekop, PNG, Vancouver Sun
ENDNOTE:
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Dancer+shares+story+road+home/2615366/story.html
Liza J. Lee is the Co-founder and Blogger for Artistrun ArtConverge.
© 2010 ArtConverge (ISSN 1918-9273)
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