Charlene Johnny x Purdys Chocolatier
Charlene Johnny
x
Purdys Chocolatier
Meet the artist
'Uy' Skweyul, Good Day! 
“I am Charlene Johnny, a Quw'utsun artist living in Vancouver, BC. I enjoy creating Coast Salish Art, an art form inspired by my ancestors. Coast Salish design elements are very much part of the culture the same way that language, songs and dances are. I have over a decade of experience in Coast Salish Art in different forms including silversmithing, graphic design and mural painting.”
Luts’as Ihqelts’ Gift Box, 16 pc 
This gift box features beautiful Coast Salish artwork by Charlene Johnny, a Quw’utsun artist from Vancouver, BC. It includes 2 pieces of our new Blueberry & Nettle Leaf chocolate along with other delicious bestsellers. Inspired by Coast Salish culture, it is a unique milk & dark chocolate ganache infused with blueberry purée and a tingle of nettle leaves, enrobed in smooth dark chocolate.
$5 from every gift box you purchase is donated to Stqeeye' Learning Society, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization.
Made with sustainable cocoa.
This gift box is no longer available for sale. However, you can visit your nearest Purdys shop to try our new Blueberry & Nettle Leaf chocolate!
Artist Statement
“The three main design elements used in Coast Salish art are circles, crescents and trigons. I have used all three of these shapes to create an original design that mimics the Moon's gravitational force on our waterways. At the top right there is a moon face and with the use of crescents and trigons, I created a ripple effect in the surrounding area. Below the moon is a reflection of a trout head, which pays tribute to the waters and lands that sustain us. Within the circles of the eyes, I have featured abalone inlay. Many West Coast Indigenous Nations use Abalone. It is a valuable gift from our oceans and we often adorn ourselves with it, add it to regalia, or inlay it into carvings and jewelry. The Quw'utsun are known as salmon people, so ensuring the health and wellbeing of our waterways and trade routes is a reflection of the quality of life we ensure through caring for the land and our people. By combining all of these elements into an illustration, this artwork represents the beauty and resilience of Coast Salish values and beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation like ripples in the water. Our food and waterways have connected us across the land through trade systems, so we are taught to take great care of these relationships with one another and the land. We are all connected to mother earth. Nuts’a’maat Shqwalsun, one heart, one mind, we are all one.”
“We are all connected to mother earth. Nuts'a'maat Shqwalsun, one heart, one mind, we are all one.”
Blueberry & Nettle Leaf
Discover a delightful fusion of flavours with our new chocolate developed in collaboration with Charlene Johnny.
Blueberry & Nettle Leaf is a dark chocolate shell enrobing a unique milk and dark chocolate ganache infused with blueberry purée and a tingle of nettle leaves — an ancient plant revered by Indigenous peoples for its medicinal power and spiritual significance.
Did you know? In Coast Salish culture, stinging nettle leaves hold a sacred place and are often used to alleviate various ailments such as arthritis, allergies and rheumatism. The leaves are also brewed into teas or poultices, believed to cleanse the body and promote overall well-being.
$5 from every gift box supports Stqeeye' Learning Society
Stqeeye' (pronounced STAH-KAY-AH) is an Indigenous-led non-profit organization located on a traditional village site called Xwaaqw'um on Salt Spring Island, otherwise known as Burgoyne Bay.
Their mission is to support self-determination, relationship building and reconciliation through traditional ecological restoration and land-based education programs.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jared Qwustenuxun Williams for graciously providing the audio file for pronouncing Luts’as Ihqelts’, and to First Voices for their pronunciation audio file for 'Uy' Skweyul.
We respectfully acknowledge that the Purdys Support Office and Chocolate Factory are located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.