British ColumbiaCalled Too Beh Ts’ughuna: Water is Life at the Two Rivers Gallery in Prince George, it is the first professional exhibit to be curated from within the Lheidli T’enneh community. The first-of-its-kind art exhibition features over 30 Lheidli T’enneh and Dakelh artistsHanna Petersen · CBC News · Posted: Oct 26, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesKym Gouchie is the co-curator of the Too Beh Ts’ughuna: Water is Life exhibit at the Two Rivers Gallery in Prince George, which has been billed as the first professional art exhibition curated by and featuring entirely Lheidli T’enneh artists. (Hanna Petersen/CBC)Highlighting the connection to land and water, a new exhibit at an art gallery in Prince George has brought together over 30 Lheidli T’enneh and Dakelh artists. Called Too Beh Ts’ughuna: Water is Life, it is the first professional exhibit to be curated from within the Lheidli T’enneh community.The exhibit at the Two Rivers Gallery in downtown Prince George is curated by Jennifer Pighin and Kym Gouchie, both artists and members of the Lheidli T’enneh Nation. “Being able to come here and be a part of an exhibition that is historical to not only our community, but also to the gallery, is pretty epic,” said Gouchie. She says the gallery is set up to reflect the Lheidli T’enneh communities’ north and south sides, which are separated by the Fraser River. One of the pieces featured is a birch bark basket created by the late Elder Edie Frederick. (Two Rivers Gallery/submitted)“This gallery space is sort of set up in that way, metaphorically,” she said. “It’s very parallel to us and our history.” The exhibition features painting, carving, photography, textiles, performance, and traditional practices, allowing the artists explore the spiritual and cultural significance of water. Lheidli T’enneh means the People of the Confluence, and Gouchie says the exhibit celebrates the enduring relationship with the Fraser and Nechako Rivers. “It’s our home. It’s our ancestral connection,” said Gouchie. “The waters have been our life source.” Encouraging Lheidli T’enneh artists Lheidli T’enneh First Nation members are part of the broader Dakelh people and culture, which encompasses multiple nations throughout north-central B.C. Consisting of just under 1,000 registered members as of September, the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation’s traditional territories span approximately 41,000 square kilometres — from the Rocky Mountains near Valemount through the Interior Plateau and the city of Prince George, the service centre for much of northern B.C.Pighin says the exhibit is an opportunity for Lheidli T’enneh members to see themselves as artists. Jennifer Pighin is the co-curator of the Too Beh Ts’ughuna: Water is Life exhibit at the Two Rivers Gallery. (Hanna Petersen/CBC)“We want to show the diversity and really encourage our artists to look at the work that they do in a way that they maybe don’t on a normal everyday basis,” she said. “We’ve also been able to bring home some of the work from members that maybe haven’t been as engaged in the community over time, due to impacts of colonization.” Pighin says she’s also worked with elders and linguist Bill Poser to complete Dakelh translations for each of the pieces’ title cards. “We do consult with Peter John who is one of our last fluent speakers in the Lheidli … actually, he is our last fluent speaker,” said Pighin. Pighin and Gouchie say they hope the exhibit offers a chance for the community to learn more about Lheidli T’enneh and Dakelh culture.“The bringing together of everybody in this space in a way that is celebrating who we are as Dakelh, but also who we are as Lheidli T’enneh, and the diversity of art and creativity is pretty mind-blowing,” said Gouchie. The exhibit runs until Jan. 5, 2026. ABOUT THE AUTHORHanna Petersen is a reporter for CBC News, working out of the Prince George, B.C., bureau. You can email her at hanna.petersen@cbc.ca.
First ever Lheidli Tenneh art exhibition opens in Prince George, B.C.
