BCAA Travel Blog

November 6th, 2008

The Natives Are Restless (part 9)

by Kerry Banks

Another spectacular day; another mesmerizing drive. The more you travel in British Columbia, the more you come to appreciate the province’s stunning natural beauty. The last leg of our journey finds us motoring south on Duffy Lake Road from Lillooet to Whistler. The winding highway veers past cascading rivers, glacier-capped peaks and turquoise lakes. We make several stops to snap photos and breathe in the invigorating wilderness air. Leonard has put his Metis fiddle tunes back on and has the pedal to the medal. Every time we go over a bump in the road, Amy yells “Yee-haw!” It’s another new word taught to her by Dannielle. “A Chinese cowboy expression,” as she jokingly calls it. We “Yee-haw!” our way down to Mount Currie, where everyone gets out to buy junk food at a local store. While we are standing in the parking lot, Leonard asks Shilong, the jovial correspondent from China’s Xinhua News Agency, if he is a spy. Shilong laughs. “Everbody asks me that,” he says.

We arrive in Whistler just in time to enjoy a fantastic lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel. From there we proceed to the Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre, which opened in June 2008. The 30,400 square-foot complex is designed to evoke a traditional Squamish longhouse and a Lil’wat Istken (pit house), with pictograph-adorned boulders gracing the walkways along the approach to the carved cedar entry doors. Anchored by massive Douglas fir beams and columns, the glass-skinned exterior opens the building to the surrounding mountain scenery. The entrance and the axis of the building align with the celestial points of the compass, as is traditional in First Nations cultures. When the site was under construction, a mother bear and her cub wandered through the building, which was interpreted as an auspicious omen.

The $30-million structure is the product of a collaborative effort between the Lil’wat and Squamish First Nation, who signed a Protocol Agreement in 2001, the only one of its kind in Canada. The agreement affirms the Nations’ shared heritage and commits them to identify issues of mutual concern, explore economic opportunities and consider shared jurisdiction and co-management. Oral histories of the Squamish and Lil’wat people of southwest B.C., dating back several millenia, tell of their relationship to the land as well their connection to each other. In fact, they were so interconnected that they once shared a village named Spo7ez (SPO-ez), at the base of Garibaldi Mountain about 16 kilometres south of Whistler. Trade, social events and intermarriage formed the basis of their peaceful coexistence. Unfortunately, the village was buried by a rockslide resulting from a volcanic eruption or earthquake thousands of years ago.

The building showcases the cultures of the two tribes–dance masks, woven cedar baskets, Salish blankets, dug-out canoes, carved spinning whorls and ceremonial headdresses are just some of the treasures on display. The woolen blankets are especially impressive. Each one is hand woven with each inch representing over one thousand lovingly executed hand movements. For the cultural-centre project, 10 Squamish Nation weavers were specially chosen to design and create 10 monumental and distinctly different weavings. The techniques used for these weavings were based on those of the blankets worn by a delegation of B.C. chiefs during their trip to London to discuss land issues with King Edward VII in 1906. Equally striking are the wooden Salish canoes, including one which hangs suspended from the soaring ceiling of the Great Hall. The largest, measuring 18 metres in length, was carved from a single cedar tree by master carver Ray Natrall, who spent years researching historical records and seeking advice from the elders in order to revive the unique Squamish style of carving. According to tradition, it must be removed from exhibition each year and taken on a journey in the ocean to honour the spirit of the canoe.

Somewhat surprisingly, Nancy Nightingale, the cultural centre’s gift shop manager, tells me that the classy facility has not yet been discovered by too many of Whistler’s tourists. I sense that this situation will not last long. Our trip through the interior of B.C. has vividly demonstrated to me how many different and fascinating types of aboriginal cultural experiences are out there waiting to be discovered. Although this sector of the provincial tourism industry may still be in its infancy, all the indications suggest it is going to grow up to be a muscular force. As the saying goes, “the Natives are restless.”