Marianne Nicolson

Tunics of the Changing Tide: Dzawada-enuxw Histories Tree of Life Design

In the early 19th century, Canadian First Nations peoples started to incorporate European trade materials into their decorative and elaborate tunics. However, the settler government quickly suppressed all Indigenous cultural forms, enforcing assimilation practices. Marianne Nicolson uses her art to resist colonial erasure and revitalize Kwakwaka’wakw culture and history. Tunics of the Changing Tide represents Indigenous resilience and a turn toward recovery. This tunic depicts a cedar tree, which the Kwakwaka’wakw consider to be the “tree of life,” believing that every part of the tree can provide a range of valuable resources, including canoes and clothing.