Dike Piece/ Legs Piece
(my walking practice at Brunswick Point)
Dike piece
A ritual walk
feeling my two legs carrying me, so pleasant
sky and sea silver blue
grassy field green and gold.
I walk the center line—
the rain makes the birds quiet
who knows where they go.
Legs piece
Feel your two small legs, hinged
carrying you around
joyfully.
Since 2016, my practice has centred on the Fraser RIver Estuary, where I study Hwlhits'um (Brunswick Point in Ladner, BC) in the traditional territories of Coast Salish Peoples, including the Hul’qumi’num Mustimuhw, scəw̓aθən, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm. Hwlhits'um is in Roberts Bank, a key stopover site on the Pacific Flyway for migratory birds. For many years, in a daily walking practice, I have written and followed sets of instructions in order to attend to nature at the site. This has led to artworks, and pieces involving reciprocity to land and people—a guided walk project at the site, walk quietly/ ts’ekw’unshun kws qututhun.
Walking at this site means witnessing both beauty and destruction. Brunswick Point is a site of global importance—the Fraser River Estuary in which it sits is designated as a site of "hemispheric Importance" by Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network; one of the 22 most important sites in the Western Hemisphere. The Estuary is also recognized as the most important site for birds in Canada. The nutrient rich mudflats at Brunswick Point are a key feeding ground for shorebirds, especially the incredible wester sandpiper.
The Federal Government has decided to allow the construction of a proposed second shipping port in Roberts Bank, inside the estuary KBA and directly adjacent to Brunswick Point. Environment and Climate Change Canada scientists have reported that the expansion of the port will have a significant and irreparable impact on many species, including the western sandpiper, chinook salmon, and southern resident killer whales.