Know Who You Are, Know Where You Come From | Debra Sparrow | TEDxLangaraCollege

In Know Who You Are, Know Where You Come From, Debra Sparrow narrates the history and struggles of her people, the Musqueam people, and posits the idea that to move forward, you have to look back on the past. In times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increasing need to connect to our roots and our heritage, and contemplate what they mean to us.

Debra Sparrow is a Musqueam weaver, artist and knowledge keeper. Debra was born and raised on the Musqueam Indian Reserve. She’s self-taught in Salish design, weaving and jewellery-making, and has been deeply involved with the revival of the Musqueam weaving tradition for more than 30 years. Her artwork is exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, YVR, the Royal BC Museum, the Canadian Museum of History, the Burke Museum in Seattle, and the Smithsonian. In 2008, she received the BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nations Art. She also designed the logo for the Canadian Men’s Hockey Team for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In 2018, Debra was instrumental in creating the “Blanketing the City” mural series—a part of the Vancouver Mural Festival. For it, she created three giant murals that showcase Musqueam weaving patterns and acknowledge the visual culture of the people whose unceeded territory viewers are on. She continues to create from her home in Musqueam.

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Debra Sparrow was born and raised on the Musqueam Indian Reserve. She’s self-taught in Salish design, weaving and jewellery-making, and has been deeply involved with the revival of the Musqueam weaving tradition for more than 30 years. Her artwork is exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, YVR, the Royal BC Museum, the Canadian Museum of History, the Burke Museum in Seattle, and the Smithsonian. In 2008, she received the BC Creative Achievement Award for First Nations Art. She also designed the logo for the Canadian Men’s Hockey Team for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
In 2018, Debra was instrumental in creating the “Blanketing the City” mural series—a part of the Vancouver Mural Festival. For it, she created three giant murals that showcase Musqueam weaving patterns and acknowledge the visual culture of the people whose unceded territory viewers are on. She continues to create from her home in Musqueam. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx