Takaya Tours

On June 6 2023, the Compass team gathered on Tsleil-Waututh First Nation territory in North Vancouver for a cultural tour led by Takaya Tours. We had the opportunity to listen to ancient knowledge and wisdom, exploring the beautiful ancestral grounds of Whey-ah-Wichen (which we learned is the name for Cates Park, and means “Faces the Wind”). A fitting name – strong winds and an outgoing tide sadly kept us from paddling a 35 foot traditional style ocean going canoe as originally planned! But a walking tour led by Les, a Tsleil-Wautuh knowledge keeper, was a wonderful opportunity to hear songs, stories, legends, and learn about village sites and traditional cultural practices, including longhouse customs.

Debriefing our reflections after the tour, we discussed how the insight we gained re-shapes our understanding of Vancouver. We also discussed ways we, as facilitators, can help bridge different ways of knowing and communicating. We brainstormed ideas for how we can structure agendas so that they have complementary on-the-land and classroom components, where on-the-land components could help groups better understand the cultural (or ecological) context of a problem they are addressing.

We wrapped up the session by sharing a delicious meal catered by Salmon and Bannock, a Vancouver-based Indigenous-owned restaurant, and enjoying time connecting as friends and colleagues.