Rena Point Bolton

When Rena Point Bolton was growing up, potlatches and the creation of aboriginal art were banned. Against that backdrop, her life as a cultural leader began at an early age, when her mother and grandmother taught her the traditional songs, history, arts and crafts of her people, passing on the responsibility to keep the traditions alive. Rena has since dedicated her life to learning and teaching the traditional arts of not only the Sto:lo and Thompson nations of her ancestors, but also the Tsimshian arts of her husband’s territory. Her main concern today is for the preservation of the natural world, which is the wellspring of her art. The deep forest is where she respectfully harvests the cedar and spruce roots and cedar bark she uses to create her exquisite baskets.