Leonard Wells has began chipping away at local high schools this week.
In fact, over the next several weeks, the Semiahmoo First Nation master carver will be touring five Surrey secondary schools.
And with him will be 12 feet of red cedar.
Wells is in the process of carving two welcome poles that will eventually grace the entrance of the Surrey School District's new education centre near 92 Avenue and 140 Street.
It's part of the Tree of LIfe project, where the cedar logs being transformed into the poles will be taken from school to school, so students can not only see a carver at work, but also hear from various elders as they share wisdom and stories from their culture.
The first stop this week was Frank Hurt Secondary, where teens heard from elders Eddie Pierre from the Katzie Nation and Sto:lo Nation member Daniel Charlie. They spoke of the sacred and vital nature of cedar to native peoples – and the respect the people show the tree and their ancestors.
Indeed, there was a ceremony held when the fallen mass of wood was initially removed from the forest floor. And when the poles are finally raised, they will also be honoured with a formal ceremony.
Taking a break from hacking and chiseling at the wood, Wells, who apprenticed under renowned Haida artist Robert Davidson before venturing out on his own, explains the current poles will take two-and-a-half to three months to complete.
And once the carving is finished, he doesn't plan on adding much paint.
"It's going to be black with a bit of red and that's about it," he says. "When it comes to colouring Salish art ... a lot of the colour comes out of that wood."
The welcome poles will feature one male and one female human figure, both with arms outstretched.
"It's not your traditional totem pole that you'd see anywhere else where there's animal figures or lots of paint on it," adds Paula Leon, coordinator for aboriginal support for the school district.
The poles will proceed to Fraser Heights, Kwantlen Park, Lord Tweedsmuir and Guildford Park Secondary schools over the next four weeks.