"In trying to decide what I wanted to make out of this box, I had drawn and erased a few things on the blank box. I sat there and stared and at one point even asked the box what it wanted to be before drawing again. The result is what appears: salmon.

Salmon are an integral part of the Stó:lō culture and way of life. Our Sxwoxwiyam (stories of long ago) tell us that the salmon are our ancestors that were transformed by X:als (creator) into the salmon so we would never go hungry.

This box represents the life-cycle and sacrifice that the Salmon go through every four years to produce the next generation. The sides depict both male and female salmon all the way around with the currents of the water wrapping and tangling throughout the background. The lid has a salmon egg which signifies the start of another cycle."

-Terry Horne