King Charles' new Canada House key is about subverting power, Ts'msyen designer says

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 24, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

One of the astir important stories to Indigenous radical crossed B.C.'s West Coast has been commemorated successful a caller cardinal talented to King Charles to observe the 100th day of Canada House successful London.

It was created by Ts'msyen artist Morgan Asoyuf, who took the accidental to elevate an important communicative from her location territory successful Prince Rupert, B.C. 

"To beryllium capable to make this portion that is going up truthful high, politically... it was thing that I benignant of had to deliberation astir a lot," Asoyuf said, citing the analyzable narration Indigenous radical person some with Canada and the Royal Family.

And she says there's an important connection astir powerfulness and who it serves successful the communicative the cardinal depicts, Raven Steals the Light.

A trickster figure, Raven disguises himself arsenic a kid to summation entree to a container containing the light, which is cautiously guarded by an aged man.

Raven makes disconnected with the container successful his beak but, becoming tired, starts throwing pieces of airy into the sky, creating archetypal the stars, past the satellite and yet the sun, sharing it with each the radical of the coast.

"How bash we instrumentality and subvert from these large, governmental powers and bring it backmost to us?" is simply a question Asouyef says was connected her caput portion creating the piece. She besides asked herself "What's our airy here?" arsenic she reflected connected pieces of Indigenous creation and civilization that were taken and enactment successful museums astir the satellite and which galore nations are present moving to person returned.

LISTEN | Morgan Asoyuf has complex feelings aft seeing her enactment successful the hands of the king:  

A multi-disciplinary artist, Asouyef chiefly works successful goldsmithing, jewelry, gem-setting, and engraving. She says the cardinal she made was based connected Victorian-era skeleton keys, and made of silver, bronze and garnet gemstones.

The cardinal was presented to King Charles connected Tuesday, up of his planned sojourn to Canada adjacent week. 

It is ceremonially a cardinal to Canada House successful London's Trafalgar Square which often acts arsenic a showcase of Canadian civilization to the world.

WATCH | King Charles visits Canada House: 

Asouyef was besides struck by the information that Canada has agelong elevated West Coast Indigenous artwork erstwhile presenting itself internationally, adjacent arsenic members of her household were being taken to residential schools.

She has ne'er shied distant from speaking up astir those issues and has antecedently explored it successful a bid titled Royal Portrait, successful which she designed ornate crowns and jewelery to beryllium worn by Indigenous activists and matriarchs progressive successful onshore defence and speaking up connected behalf of MMIWGS2+ people.

"Our matriarchs are truly connected the aforesaid level arsenic immoderate different monarch successful the world," she said of the series. "We're present arsenic sovereign nations."