One of the most important stories to Indigenous people across B.C.’s West Coast has been commemorated in a new key gifted to King Charles to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canada House in London.
It was created by Ts’msyen artist Morgan Asoyuf, who took the opportunity to elevate an important story from her home territory in Prince Rupert, B.C.
“To be able to create this piece that is going up so high, politically… it was something that I sort of had to think about a lot,” Asoyuf said, citing the complex relationship Indigenous people have both with Canada and the Royal Family.
And she says there’s an important message about power and who it serves in the story the key depicts, Raven Steals the Light.
Most often attributed to Haida oral culture and shared by nations throughout what is now B.C. and Alaska, Raven Steals the Light tells the tale of how Raven, a central figure in many origin stories, brought light to the people who before then had been living in darkness.
Asoyuf recounted the story in an interview with CBC News.
A trickster figure, Raven disguises himself as a child to gain access to a box containing the light, which is carefully guarded by an old man.
Raven makes off with the box in his beak but, becoming tired, starts throwing pieces of light into the sky, creating first the stars, then the moon and finally the sun, sharing it with all the people of the coast.
“How do we take and subvert from these large, political powers and bring it back to us?” is a question Asouyef says was on her mind while creating the piece. She also asked herself “What’s our light here?” as she reflected on pieces of Indigenous art and culture that were taken and put in museums around the world and which many nations are now working to have returned.
Story of ‘Raven Steals the Light’ embedded in new Canada House key gifted to King Charles
A multi-disciplinary artist, Asouyef primarily works in goldsmithing, jewelry, gem-setting, and engraving. She says the key she made was based on Victorian-era skeleton keys, and made of silver, bronze and garnet gemstones.
The key was presented to King Charles on Tuesday, ahead of his planned visit to Canada next week.
It is ceremonially a key to Canada House in London’s Trafalgar Square which often acts as a showcase of Canadian culture to the world.
King Charles, Queen Camilla visit Canada House on its 100th anniversary
Asouyef was also struck by the fact that Canada has long elevated West Coast Indigenous artwork when presenting itself internationally, even as members of her family were being taken to residential schools.
She has never shied away from speaking up about those issues and has previously explored it in a series titled Royal Portrait, in which she designed ornate crowns and jewelery to be worn by Indigenous activists and matriarchs involved in land defence and speaking up on behalf of MMIWGS2+ people.
“Our matriarchs are really on the same level as any other monarch in the world,” she said of the series. “We’re here as sovereign nations.”
