“Wayken Pana El Pom” – New Downtown Wintu Mural Declares ‘Everyone Is Welcome in Redding’

…The mural features a hummingbird, a winged relative known for their healing abilities in Wintu culture, set against a cerulean blue background with radiating Wintu basket designs. The hummingbird hovers in front of the face of a 4-year-old Wintu girl, who’s wearing a headpiece used for ceremonial dancing regalia. The hummingbird’s flight path is traced by a sinuous, flame-toned line, representing Wintu people’s ancestors and how “they’re alway watching over us and guiding us,” Radcliff-Garcia said at the event.

At the top of the mural are the words “Wayken-pana El Pom”; Wintu words which loosely translate to “everyone is welcome in Redding.” El Pom refers to the band of Wintu whose territory includes the city.

Last Thursday at the dedication, many marveled at the striking beauty of the mural.

“I like the hummingbird. It looks so beautiful. It’s exciting for Wintu people because we’re going to get noticed,” said 9-year-old Joshua Garcia (Aztec/Wintu), who lives in Anderson.

Several at the event said they or relatives had already driven from outer areas of the county to view the art after seeing social media posts documenting its progress.


…In the far corner of the mural are two planet Earths, one surrounded by red flames and the other by wavy blue lines. Vanessa Scholfield, who co-designed the mural, explained that the two globes represent Wintu people’s creation story, in which an animal relative first brought fire, spreading flames far across the world, and then another brought water, leading to great floods.

The creation story is about transformation, regeneration and rebirth, Scholfield said, explaining how a Wintu child is depicted in the mural to represent the importance of passing down their people’s culture to young and future generations….










Read more: https://shastascout.org/wayken-pana-el-pom-new-downtown-wintu-mural-declares-everyone-is-welcome-in-redding/










This is an interesting public interest story. The mural is beautiful. It is about inclusivity and a reminder of more distant history of our fine area. The mural on the north side of the historic renovated Art Deco style Cascade Theater is visible through much of downtown.

 

The best media pic I can find.