Yellow bubbles, sturgeon, salmon, seaweed and blanket patterns are all part of a mural at the front entrance to Spul’u’kwuks elementary school. The new mural, created by Musqueam artist Debbie Sparrow, was celebrated last Wednesday morning at the school. When students enter the school every day, they will see the mural, reminding them of the history of the Musqueam people and the significance of the area’s ecology.

“The mural is important because we are living on Musqueam land,” said Oscar, a student at the school, sharing his reflection of the mural project. “The mural tells the story of the land before settlers came,” he added. “It represents the importance of the river to the Musqueam, and the mural represents our local ecosystem.

” During the celebration, Alec Dan, who is Coast Salish-Musqueam and a Richmond resident, gave the students a Musqueam welcome. The school’s name, Spul’u’kwuks, is a Musqueam word meaning “a place of bubbling waters,” hence the bubble patterns in the mural. Included in the mural are two fish that have significance for Musqueam – salmon and sturgeon.

“Sturgeon can live to be very old, they are very special to our community, so we wanted to honour the ancient land and ancient species that live along this beautiful waterway that we have,” said Sparrow about her artwork. “Salmon also represents our food source from the river which is very important to our community.” Different fish patterns serve as reminders for .