The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) welcomes guests on Sept. 30 to commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Visitors can listen to a Guest Speaker Series, experience cultural sharing, carving and weaving demonstrations, immersive crafts and First Nations-inspired cuisine. Full programming will be announced in the coming days.
Community members and guests are encouraged to show support by wearing orange to honour the children, survivors and families of residential schools. The SLCC Gallery and Gift Shop offers these shirts, along with books for learning about Truth and Reconciliation and the history of Indigenous peoples, for sale. All proceeds go toward Indigenous artists and help facilitate meaningful employment for Squamish and Lil’wat Nation members.
On Sept. 20, the SLCC will launch an online silent auction fundraiser where residents and guests can bid on over a hundred experiences and products donated by the Sea to Sky business community supporting cultural revitalization through the SLCC. Bids can be placed online until Sept. 29.
Live carving for the Salish Summer Carving Series is extended through late September, featuring Master Carver Jonathan Joe (Lílw̓at7úl) and Apprentice Redmond Q̓áwam̓ Andrews (Lílw̓at7úl) carving the story pole that incorporates designs that honour the Declaration of the Lillooet Tribes. The story pole will rise to stand alongside the house post carved by Xwalacktun (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh / Kwakwak’wakw / Namgis) and Brandon Hall (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh of the Squamish Nation) in 2023 at the SLCC entrance on Lorimer Road.
Three feature exhibitions are on deck: Chief Dan George – Actor and Activist, Declaration of the Lillooet Tribes, and Truth and Reconciliation.
Actor and Activist showcases George's life, legacy and influence as a First Nations rights advocate, and significant events in the First Nations rights movement in Canada. The Declaration of the Lillooet Tribes exhibit outlines the history of the eleven St̓at̓y̓emc Nation communities (including the Lil’wat Nation and their Chiefs) that came together to sign the declaration, on May 10, 1911.
Sugarcane, the award-winning National Geographic Documentary film by Julian Brave NoiseCat (Tsq’escen/Lil’wat) and Emily Kassie, will screen on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 30 at 3 p.m.
Visit the SLCC website for more information.
