pesk'a

Hummingbird

Stand by a feeder on a warm afternoon and you'll hear the pesk'a before you see it. A small whir, a pause, and there it is, hanging in the air an arm's length away, deciding whether you're worth its time. Pesk'a is hummingbird in Halq'eméylem, the language of the Stó:lō people, and once one has clocked your feeder it comes back again and again, because a hummingbird remembers every good flower it has ever found.

The orange ones are Rufous, and they have a reputation. A Rufous weighs less than a five-cent piece and will still chase off a bird twice its size, then sit on a branch daring it to come back. They cross the better part of a continent twice a year to spend a few months here, which is a lot of nerve for something that small. The green ones are Anna's, around all year now, flashing a colour that won't sit still. Look again a second later and the same bird has changed.

A brown hummingbird hovering near an orange flower in daylight.

A green and black hummingbird flying with wings outstretched.

For a lot of people on this coast, the first hummingbird of the year is how you know spring has really arrived. In Coast Salish art the hummingbird is a messenger of joy. There's a story that gets told about why it never stops moving from flower to flower: it was sent to thank the flowers for making the world a nicer place, and it just never finished the job.

So hang a feeder, leave the window open, and wait. Sooner or later one shows up, and the rest takes care of itself. Kw'atset te p'esk'a, goes the Halq'eméylem phrase: look at the hummingbird.

In the Hummingbird collection

39 of 39 pieces by Indigenous artists

Category

All 39
Accessories 4
Apparel 3
Aprons 1
Bags 2
Bracelet 3
Collectibles 2
Drinkware 5
Earrings 1
Eco sponges 1
Game 1
Home decor 1
Jewellery 5
Journal 2
Kids 2
Kitchen textiles 8
Kitchenware 3
New arrivals 20
Pant 1
Passport holders 1
Pendant 1
Produce bags 1
Socks 1
Stationery 3
T shirt 2
Tea towels 3
Tote bag 1
Travel 1
Wall art 1

Price (CAD)

$0.03 – $2.20

Availability

In stock only

Black t-shirt with teal bird and flower design worn by a person

T-Shirt - Hummingbird

From $28.00

Person wearing a purple t-shirt with a bird design

T-shirt - Infinite Joy

From $28.00

Country/region

Hummingbird

In the Hummingbird collection