The salmon skin and scales are made from nylon fabric and the “skeleton” is made from cane that artists took to the Quw'utsun Sta'lo' (Cowichan River) to soak and then bend into shape.

Other parts of the salmon are held together by cord and velcro, so the skin can come off and be stored safely in transport.

Salmy moves in a way that reflects how salmon move in water. The head, body, and tail have the flexibility to turn and shift angles, so it takes the artists quite a bit of practice to move as one with each other and with Salmy.

A core team of a few dedicated Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists are stewards of Salmy. The original project happened in July of 2023 at the Si’em Lelum Gymnasium while summer camps were happening. There was an open call to youth in the community and some young artists and makers came in for a day or two, others for the whole ten days of the project.

In 2024 during summer break, the children’s camps at Cowichan Tribes participated in the project by becoming the “river.” Children created salmon hats and water wands to perform alongside the core team of artists.

The short answer? It’s impossible to give an exact number, but dozens of youth have participated in the creation and performance of this project.

No one owns Salmy. The artists are the guardians of the Quw’utsun Salmon and its future lies with them. The artists have expressed that Salmy belongs to the community, and that it should live on beyond those who started the project.

CWAVS is also a guardian of Samly, and we help with communication and funding to maintain the Quw’utsun Salmon. The puppet moves in multiple ways and performances are physically demanding, so repairs and compensation must be considered with each performance.

The late William “Chip” Seymour expressed that this project is something that was built by community and carries the spirit of Cowichan with it. Every stitch has pieces of the artists’ souls and hearts. He mentioned in a conversation with CWAVS staff that the Royal BC Museum has Quw’utsun Cedar Masks from prominent Indigenous carvers on display, and refuses to give them back as they state that Cowichan does not have a facility with the right equipment to prevent the degeneration of the historical artwork. Chip went on to say the souls of the carvers live on through those masks, and if you put them on, you give those souls a body to live, dance, and breathe through. The Quw’ustun Salmon project has these qualities but from many artists, and it is something that “they can’t take away from us.”

Salmy is a symbol of how we as a community need to work together to restore the Cowichan River and salmon populations to what they once were. We are all stiches in the fabric of time, and each action can change what the future looks like.

Individuals not involved in the protection and upkeep of Salmy cannot take Salmy and perform with the puppet without the artists. Conversations can be had about a performance happening at your event, but these need to be done collaboratively between the artists, CWAVS, and the organization.

Funny enough, we’ve never actually measured it. The puppet takes 4 people to operate and has a tail and head that protrude. We will measure it one day, but it’s currently hanging. If you have seen it in the library, you know Salmy is a big fish!

Salmy’s debut occurred at the 39 Days of July at Charles Hoey Park in 2023, and another performance took place at the 39 Days of July in 2024.

Artists also performed at Cowichan River Day and at the Little Raven Powwow in Duncan, 2024.

Future performances are TBD.