The Cedar Woman and Man pole was carved in 1988 by Simon Charlie (1920-2005). It is 4.7m (15’4″) high and stands at the intersection of Government Street and E.J. Hughes PLace.
The man and woman depicted on this pole are wearing woven Salish blankets. The two figures represent a balance between the female and male aspects of life. The base of the pole features symbols that are important objects for the Quw’utsun’ people.
Carver Simon Charlie’s grandson, Tim Kuchylski, described this pole in a 2012 interview as:
“Cedar woman is the originator of all our woven materials….she had a dream, and in the dream she was taught to weave, and she was taught not only how to weave but how to collect cedar roots, how to split the roots, how to weave reeds, how to weave basketry, how to weave clothing, how to weave red cedar and yellow cedar….her gift was to teach, and so she taught people how to weave, and brought weaving to the community and brought weaving to a finite skill.”
The base of the Cedar Woman and Man pole features symbols that are important objects for the Quw’utsun’ people.
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