Painting Our Stories on Feathers

For more than 30 years, Cook’s Ferry artist Marilyn has used her creativity to celebrate Nlaka'pamux culture through feather painting.

Marilyn Lytton’s artistic journey began in 1985 when she studied art with hopes of becoming an art teacher. While raising her family and building a career, she continued to pursue her passion for art. In 1995, she discovered a book featuring paintings on feathers and was inspired to try the unique art form herself.

As her skills developed, Marilyn made a conscious decision to focus on cultural imagery connected to her own territory. She began incorporating Nlaka'pamux pictographs, traditional basket designs, wildlife and portraits inspired by local history and teachings.

"When I was learning about Indigenous art, there wasn't much about our own Interior Salish art," Marilyn said. "I wanted to create art that reflected who we are here." She began incorporating local pictographs into her paintings, drawing inspiration from ancient rock art found throughout Nlaka'pamux lands. From there, she expanded her work to include women wearing traditional basket designs, men with historical facial tattoos, and imagery inspired by community teachings and history.

Over the years, she has painted hundreds of pieces featuring salmon, hummingbirds, turtles, horses, eagles and people. Her feathers tell stories of the land, the animals and the people of the Nlaka'pamux Nation. They honour the artistic traditions that have always existed here and help ensure they remain visible for future generations.

Looking ahead, she hopes to continue painting and explore ways to incorporate more Nlaka'pamux language into her artwork.

Rooted in Cook’s Ferry and inspired by Nlaka'pamux culture, Marilyn's feather paintings are a powerful expression of identity, resilience and community.