Coming Home by Ric Gendron was revealed at LUNA Reimagined on Sept. 25.

Gendron is a member of the Sinixt Nation, the first inhabitants of the Revelstoke area, that were declared extinct by the Canadian government in 1956.

In 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the existence of the Sinixt in a landmark decision that could lead the way to rights, reconciliation and acknowledgement of lost history.

The piece of art features significant historical figures from the Sinixt Nation as well as members of Gendronsa国际传媒檚 own family, including his mother and father on their wedding day and his Kindergarten picture.

For Gendron and Shelly Boyd, a Sinixt spokesperson, it is a homecoming for both the ancestors depicted in the paintings and themselves.

sa国际传媒淚 have always said I am a mountain woman, because of where I live,sa国际传媒� Boyd said.

sa国际传媒淲e pick huckleberries and we do all these things that we have done culturally and traditionally. But when we come up here I am reminded that I am truly a mountain woman and that I come from this water.sa国际传媒�

Boyd spoke about the importance of amplifying Indigenous voices and remembering humansa国际传媒檚 connection to the land.

sa国际传媒淲hen we start to forget that we are just a part of this, thatsa国际传媒檚 when we will disappear,sa国际传媒� she said.

The Sinixt Territory spans from Kettle Falls, Washington to Revelstoke. Gendron and many people of the Sinixt Nation have never been this far north.

sa国际传媒淚 think of it like Jerusalem,sa国际传媒� Boyd said. sa国际传媒淚 donsa国际传媒檛 want to step on anybodysa国际传媒檚 culture or anybodysa国际传媒檚 history, but the stories I hear of people going back to Jerusalem.

sa国际传媒淵ou guys live in Jerusalem for us, this is how it feels when we get to come home.sa国际传媒�

The piece is permanently installed in the alley between Mackenzie and Connaught Avenue as part of the Revelstoke Art Alleries exhibit.