Chris Arnett – Rock Art as Resistance

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Rock art, encompassing both pictographs (paintings) and petroglyphs (carvings), is present throughout British Columbia, marking every First Nation territory. These artworks are created in specific locations and under particular circumstances, reflecting deep cultural significance and histories.

In conversation with Chris Arnett, we will delve into his recent book, Signs of the Time: Nłeʔkepmx Resistance through Rock Art, which encapsulates over 30 years of his research on the pictographic rock art of the Nłeʔkepmx, an Interior Salish people.

Rock art studies, as will be highlighted, must always pay attention to place and space through the lens of Indigenous knowledge. Through the stories passed down by Nłeʔkepmx Elders and oral traditions our talk will illuminate the resilience of Indigenous peoples and the powerful role that rock art continues to play in safeguarding their land, identity, and traditions.

About Chris Arnett

Chris Arnett is a registered member of Ngāi Tahu Whānui of Murihiku, Te Wai Pounamu, and a descendant of British and Scandinavian ancestors. Chris is also an archaeologist, researcher, and writer who lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. He has lectured in anthropology and archaeology at the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, and Vancouver Island University. Among his publications are They Write Their Dreams on the Rock Forever: Rock Writings of the Stein River Valley, British Columbia (co-authored with Annie York and Richard Daly), The Terror of the Coast: Land Alienation and Colonial War on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands (1849–1863) and editor of Two Houses Half Buried in the Sand: Oral Traditions of the Hul’q’umi’num’ Coast Salish of Kuper Island and Vancouver Island (author, Beryl Mildred Cryer).

This event is part of the Learning with Syeyutsus Speaker Series, presented by the Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools, in collaboration with UBC Press and the Vancouver Island Regional Library as part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action #57. Learn more and view all the other events at trc57speakerseries.ca. 

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