Spirit Fish March 21st, 2010

Sunday March 21st 2010

To celebrate the first day of Spring and World Water Day a Spirit Fish event took place in Burnaby under the Kensington Overpass. Underneath flows Still Creek, home to herons, ducks, native plants, a bike path, evidence of temporary cardboard shelters, and huge columns that are reminiscent of old growth tree trunks or cathedral columns. However, these columns are lifted in worship to the automobile overhead. Quietly beneath it and ignored, we find the things that we as a culture say that we treasure.

On March 21st about two dozen fishy bikes joined us for a parade from the Renfrew Skytrain Station to the event site by traveling along the Central Valley Greenway. We knew we were almost there when we were greeted by a number of ‘fishy people.’

Once the parade arrived we joined up with all the other ‘fish’ who had come by Skytrain, foot, or automobile. All afternoon there was art, music, and boat rides. There was tea, cookies, and other marvelous snacks that were prepared by the Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute.  Everyone made origami Spirit Fish Boat Lanterns and decorated them with Prayers for the Water.

At mid-afternoon, a special Prayers for the Water ritual took place and the lanterns were released under the overpass. There was also a special Spirit Fish musical performance and we were graced with the presence of the Water Goddess herself, who came floating down the river.

The Spirit Fish Project is an art and watershed awareness project by Still Moon Arts Society with the support of BC Arts Council, the City of Burnaby and numerous other community partners. We aim to connect communities to the water we use and show how water travels from our backyards through streams and rivers to the oceans. Water is the circulatory system of the earth and we want to celebrate it and all the living creatures whose very lives depend on clean, accessible water.

See the March 2010 Spirit Fish video.

Spirit Fish in the Renfrew Collingwood News