A family enjoying a guided canoe experience with Takaya Tours at Deep Cove; Destination BC/Hubert Kang
On September 9, students, faculty, and CMS staff participated in a field trip organized by the Migration & Indigeneity Research Group to Whey-ah-Wichen (Cates Park), an ancestral Tsleil-Waututh village site in North Vancouver.
Our group was guided by Seth George and Trevor Jack (Snuneymuxw First Nation), two members of Takaya Tours, an eco-tourism venture owned and operated by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. As we paddled through the calm waters of Burrard Inlet in a replica ocean-going canoe, our guides shared their deep knowledge of the area, enriching our understanding of the waters, the lands, and their significance.
Our tour guide, Seth George, from the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation.
We learned more about the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Hun’qumyi’num) place, which name means “facing both directions” and “facing the wind.” The site is home to an intact shell midden, which provides important archeological evidence of where and how Indigenous people lived in this area for millennia, before written records. These middens serve as essential links to the past, but many were destroyed by settlers for road construction and other developments, as seen for the Park Road in Stanley Park, Vancouver. Additionally, we discussed the various types of canoes, including the traditional dugout racing canoes, fishing canoes, and ocean-going canoes, and their cultural importance to the community.
This tour was not only a cultural experience, but also a step toward building relationships with a local Indigenous community. It provided an opportunity for us to learn, reflect, and connect. It made vivid the reality of Indigenous presence and ongoing history in this place, which those of us as newcomers and uninvited guests must grapple with. And as Seth and Trevor taught us, paddling together emphasized our interdependence and the essential role that each person plays. It was a powerful reminder that we rely on one another for our collective thriving, and this shared experience deepened our appreciation of Tsleil-Waututh history, culture, and community.
About the Migration & Indigeneity Research Group
The Migration & Indigeneity research group is an interdisciplinary group of migration scholars and students conducting research about transnational migration and exploring the intersection of migration and Indigeneity. This group has also been focusing on developing better relationships with local Indigenous communities, lands, and water to become better educators and researchers as settlers on Indigenous lands. It is coordinated by Ayaka Yoshimizu.
