Circle of Life
Media
Cast concrete
Artist
Rosalie Dipcsu
Location
Mundy Park Pool
Date
2025
Statement of Significance
The Circle of Life honours the connections among kʷikʷəƛ̓əm ancestors, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm culture and the lands and waters that bring us together as healthy, vibrant, loving families to enjoy this place. Each of the medallions within this Circle of Life represents the principles below.
Drumming for the Tree Spirits
The cedar tree connects us to the earth and provided materials for our homes, canoes, drums and spiritual healing. Its drumming heartbeat and strong branches remind us to stand strong in the winds of change.
The Elders’ and new Cedars of Youth
As a cedar basket, the knowledge, skills, and teachings of Elders weave together, strong and resilient, to carry forward our most sacred values and teachings to each new generation.
Rites of Passage
The land is our place of belonging, from birth to passing on, we gather as families to pass on the traditions and knowledge that allow our children to grow and thrive.
Dancing in the Clouds
We raise our hands to honour the ancestors, to honour the living and the spirited, to honour our relations in human form and animal, and to provide thanks to the earth and sky where we share all things.
The River Ran Red
Fishing has always sustained us. Our fishing village, slakəyánc, at the mouth of the Coquitlam River welcomed home the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm sockeye every year. This sockeye once ran in numbers so large they turned the river red.
The words Family, Play, Children, Land and Water, written in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and English, connect the medallions.
Background
In the spring of 2023, the City embarked on renovating and expanding the original pool in Mundy Park, formerly called Spani Pool. kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Nation and the City identified the project as an opportunity to work in partnership to incorporate Indigenous cultural recognition for the site, to honour the enduring connection held by the Nation to the lands and waters of Coquitlam. The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation selected Rosalie Dipcsu (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation) to design these two pieces of cultural recognition.
About the Artist
Rosalie Dipcsu is a visionary artist and healer from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation, whose concepts and colour theories captivate her viewers. Her innovative graphics, landscapes and designs are balanced alongside an authenticity to her Indigenous culture.