Emma Noyes is Sinixt and a member of the Colville reservation- artist, educator and storyteller living in the traditional territory of the Spokane Tribe with her partner, Jake LaMere, and their two children.

A Salish language learner and food gatherer, she walks in the footsteps of her ancestors, creating art, rooted in land, culture, and community.

Emma is known in Nelson for her stunning murals and public artworks Capitol Theatre and at Selkirk College - each one a gesture of connection.

Using traditional ways of knowing, making and gathering in her art- this residency is a powerful return to her ancestral lands.

Excerpted from Nelson and District Arts Council: Like many Sinixt people, she grew up in diaspora and has a deep desire to reunite with the lands and waters of her ancestors, north of the US border. 

She was raised in the Okanogan and was fortunate to have spent her early years at community gatherings, gathering traditional foods and in ceremony with Sinixt and Colville elders. Those years shaped her identity as an Sinixt woman and are expressed through her art and through her career in Indigenous health and research. As a Salish language learner and food gatherer she is dedicated to creating a future where Native peoples thrive and enjoy whole-person wellness through connection to land, culture and community.

She strives to contribute to and expand upon a legacy of Plateau artists that have provided a visual and written universe of Plateau tribal indigeneity. Her book, Baby Speaks Salish, is an illustrated language manual for adults interested in adding more Colville Salish into their daily interactions. Follow her at expertink