This ledger is called “Conflict on the Horizon”. For Indian people, a central conflict is whether to follow the Road of keeping alive our traditions, which are a natural way of life, or to follow the path of assimilation—and how to maintain balance within our decisions.
A canoe family travels through their home waters in the Salish Sea, Raven pulling down the power of the sun. The family members are heading in one direction, working together in harmony, pulling to keep alive our natural way of life, sustained by the waters of life. The Iroquois wampum belt of treaty speaks of two canoes sailing side by side, but separate. In this image, the second boat, while sailing in the same waters, is moving in a different direction, while its sails form a beak-like angle to capture the power of the sun.“