Crossing Borders Maa’Bar
Artist:
Tammam Azzam
This playground structure resembles a large, woven basket perched atop tall wooden pillars. The basket is patterned and textured, evoking the look of traditional cedar weaving. A sleek, silver-coloured slide curves down from one side, decorated with black graphic designs that echo Indigenous artwork. The structure includes climbable wooden elements and entry points, blending natural materials with sculptural form to create an engaging, tactile play experience.
The St’a7mes Indigenous Youth Leadership group designed this piece through a collaborative process. The colours are representative of the traditional weaving colours based on materials and dyes found locally; cedar bark and root, canary grass and red cherry bark, for example.
The basket symbolizes the children’s escape from Kalkalith, a cannibal woman’s grasp, echoing the traditional stories of the Squamish Nation.
The triangles on the bottom are representative of the surrounding mountains. Kalkalith’s face can be seen from the water calling the children to her.
The surrounding pattern was selected from one of the student’s own grandmother’s basket patterns.
The basket was painted by Kinsol and Jess Herman.
