Debra Sparrow facts for kids

Debra Sparrow, also known as θəliχʷəlʷət (Thelliawhatlwit), is a talented Musqueam weaver, artist, and a keeper of traditional knowledge. She taught herself the beautiful art of Salish design, weaving, and making jewelry.

Biography

Debra Sparrow grew up on the Musqueam Indian Reserve. This reserve is part of the traditional lands of the Musqueam people in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her grandfather, Ed Sparrow, lived to be 100 years old. He shared many stories with her, which helped her feel deeply connected to her heritage. Debra says these stories were like "300 years of stories." They helped her hear the voices of her ancestors. She believes that her people "never stopped dancing, never stopped singing, never stopped practising our cultural ways." Debra sees herself as someone who lives and practices these traditional ways today.

Debra Sparrow is a mother to three grown children.

Musqueam Weavers

When Debra was a child, the special weaving techniques of the Salish weaving tradition were almost lost to the Musqueam nation. There were no living weavers left to teach new generations. Debra's great-grandmother was the last known weaver before this art was brought back.

In 1985, Debra's oldest sister, Wendy John, took a Salish weaving class. The next year, Debra and her younger sister, Robyn Sparrow, also began to study weaving.

Debra and Robyn worked together to start a group of women weavers in the 1980s. They helped bring the Salish weaving tradition back to life. They learned how to weave again by using an old book by Paula Gustafson. They also studied blankets passed down in their family and found in museums. Debra says about weaving, "When I stand in front of my loom and I'm working, I'm with them. I'm back in time, and the women are whispering to me and guiding me."

Long ago, Salish weavers used dog hair for their blankets. But those dogs are now extinct. So, today's weavers use sheep's wool, often spun by hand. Weaving these blankets takes a very long time. Debra says, "Robes take longer to weave than totem poles take to carve."

Educating Others

Debra Sparrow is very active in teaching others. She has created programs and taught young children about Musqueam culture and history. She did this through the UBC Museum of Anthropology. She also teaches Salish weaving to children, teenagers, and adults. She has taught at places like Birkland Brothers Wool Shop and through the Urban Weavers project.

Debra gives demonstrations and public talks. She shares her knowledge at places like the Greater Vancouver Weavers and Spinners Guild and the Bill Reid Gallery. She also speaks at national and international events about Indigenous art. These include events with UNESCO and the European Textile Network.

Debra was an instructor at Langara College in 2018 and 2019. She taught a Reconciliation Weaving course. This course continued the college's Reconciliation Carving series.

She also worked as a lead artist and mentor for the Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society's "Weaving Our Way" project. This project was a team effort to create an intercultural weaving. The special blanket from this project has been shown in many places. It is now part of the City of Vancouver's public collection. It is displayed permanently at the Dunbar Community Centre.

Major Works

Debra Sparrow's artwork is highly valued. It is found in private collections and public places. These include the University of British Columbia, the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Canadian Museum of History in Hull, Quebec. Her work is also at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria and Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Washington, also has her art.

In 1996, Debra and her sister Robyn wove two blankets for the "Out of the Silence" display. This display is at the Vancouver International Airport. These four weavings are made from hand-dyed, hand-spun sheep's wool. Each blanket measures about 4.9 by 1.5 meters. These weavings are part of the Musqueam Welcome Area. This area officially welcomes international visitors to Canada, British Columbia, and Vancouver. One of the blankets woven by Debra and Robyn is called Sulsila. This means "The Grandparents." The Kanata Blanket Company later reproduced this design.

Other designs by Debra Sparrow are also reproduced by the Kanata Blanket Company.

In 2009, Debra was asked to create a special ceremonial blanket and shawl. These were for the First Nations gallery at Government House in Victoria, BC.

Debra Sparrow designed the logo for the Canadian Hockey Teams. This logo was for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, BC. The logo is shaped like a maple leaf. It features a mix of Salish and Canadian symbols drawn by Debra. These include a thunderbird, eagle, beaver, moose, hockey sticks, and Orcas. Debra worked with Stuart Iwasaki, a graphic designer for Nike.

For the 2010 Olympic Games, Debra and Robyn Sparrow created two weavings. These are called Thunderbirds: Keepers of the Sky. They hang in UBC Thunderbird Arena. These are permanent artworks that remain in the venue as a legacy of the Games.

In 2013, Debra was part of the design team for the Queen of the Night costume. This was for the Vancouver Opera's production of The Magic Flute. This production was inspired by Coastal Salish art. Debra was also asked by Disney to create special clothing for the movie White Fang II.

In 2015, Debra Sparrow worked with a Vancouver company called Peau de Loup. They designed the Unity Scarf for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. The scarf had a Salish design on one side and the word "Canada" on the other. Debra said she was "honoured to share these intricate designs" with the world. She also welcomed all the women athletes competing at the world level.

In 2018, Debra worked on several mural projects in Vancouver. She collaborated with the Vancouver Mural Festival. She designed a three-part mural series called "Blanketing the City." These murals use modern Coast Salish design elements. They focus on geometric blanket weaving patterns. The first mural was shown on Granville Island. It wraps around two cement pillars under the Granville Street Bridge. "Blanketing the City Pt. II" is in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. The third mural was a collaboration with Capilano University and Sto:lo artist Carrielynn Victor. It was part of the school's 50th-anniversary celebrations. Debra also created a pop-up mural for the 2018 SKOOKUM music festival.

Publications by Debra Sparrow

• Weaving Worlds Together by Debra Sparrow and Jill Baird. This was presented at a meeting about Indigenous identities in 2001.
• "Know who you are, Know where you come from" in A Hurricane in the Basement. City of Vancouver, 2000.
• "Out of the Silence" in European Textile Network December 1994, pages 43–45.
• 1995–1997 Debra Sparrow Weaving Two Worlds Together School Programme at the UBC Museum of Anthropology Vancouver.

Awards

• BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nations' Art, 2008.