How to attend free Indigenous cultural training in Whistler
The monthly meetings, which will run through February and will be chaired by Lil’wat and Squamish members, are intended to serve as a catalyst for truth and reconciliation
As the resort’s largest social service provider, one can clearly see how the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) contributes to the well-being of Whistler.
But Whistler’s indigenous museum, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center (SLCC), has also played an important role in caring for the community as it undergoes the challenging work of truth and reconciliation.
“[This program] talks about what the SLCC is and how we serve the community, how we have really been an essential ministry of reconciliation and a resource in this community in the past,” said Heather Paul, executive director of the SLCC.
The program Paul is referring to is a partnership between the Cultural Center and the WCSS to offer free and accessible workshops on Indigenous cultural awareness led by elders and ambassadors from the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations themselves.
“The goal was to really spark and enhance a journey of reconciliation for Whistler,” Paul said. “It’s really important that when you leave this space, you witness within yourself and into the world around you what colonization really brought about [non-Indigenous Canadians] Privilege and Advantage, and where it’s built into the systems all around you. It is not intended to offend or shock you; It’s meant to refocus your vision a bit. A change of perspective.”
The first six-hour session took place at the SLCC on October 6th and will continue each month until February 2023. They include traditional local Indigenous foods for lunch, tours of the museum’s exhibits, and educational seminars broken down into different themes, such as reconciliation and Indigenous governance, led by SLCC ambassadors, Lil’wat Nation cultural educator Tanina Williams, and the decolonial Advisor to the Squamish Nation, Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee, Founder of Nahanee Creative Inc.
Part of the goal of the workshops is to provide a safe space for non-Indigenous participants to learn and engage in difficult conversations, regardless of where they are on their personal journey to reconciliation.
“Maybe they’ve just arrived, maybe they’ve been living here for a very long time and there’s no real cultural awareness, so the goal is to give people that for free: an opportunity to come into the space, learn from elders in community, give them lunch, space and time,” said Jackie Dickinson, executive director of the WCSS. “This is the beginning. It’s not the end.”
The sessions also help define what the SLCC does and the role it plays in the community, both for non-Indigenous people and for the local First Nations members, who in the past have often struggled to feel welcome in Whistler .
“It’s really up to the community to understand what we’re doing and the people in the building,” Paul said. “I really want them to know their names. One thing, Georgina [Dan, SLCC cultural administration coordinator and co-facilitator of its Indigenous Youth Ambassador program] said is, ‘Do you know my name. Just know my name.’”
The partnership between both organizations is also significant, especially given the harm and stigma the local indigenous community has faced in the past when entering into the health and social service field.
“I think the pieces of the puzzle fit together very well,” Paul said. “We want to build a progressive, positive relationship that moves forward in wellness, and we also want the Ambassadors and Ambassador families who work here to ultimately see WCSS as a resource as well. We reach out to WCSS to learn how we can provide this type of support and how best to serve, and we want to be able to help WCSS access culture-aware resources for the community.”
The program was funded in part by a Heritage BC 150 Time Immemorial Grant for which WCSS applied, and additional support from the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, the latter stepping in at 11 a.m. to ensure all six Workshops were free to the community.
The next meeting will be held at the SLCC on November 3rd from 8:45 am to 2:00 pm. Participation is free, but registration is required and limited.