Folio.YVR #4/5: Squamish Lil’ wat Cultural Centre Shares History
The Squamish Lil’ wat Cultural Centre resides on six-acres of forested beauty near the Fitzsimmons Creek in the Upper Village of Whistler, BC. Conveniently located across from the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and the Four Seasons visitors to this gem of a mountain get-away will enjoy visiting this exciting destination and take a breather from the hustle of the Village.
The Centre showcases the history, art, and heritage of the Squamish and Lil’ wat First Nations through incredible drumming performances, guided tours of the museum, interactive, contemporary and outdoor exhibits, and craft workshops such as cedar grass bracelet making.
The main feature, The Great Hall, captures the spectacular mountain and forest views through curved glass plank walls. Showcasing hand-carved cedar welcome figures, pictograph-embossed boulders, massive spindle whorls, and a series of cedar canoes, some of which are suspended from the hall’s soaring ceilings.
Unique to Whistler, the Ístken Hall is a stunning circular glass room with a natural cedar wood interior that makes it a breath-taking location for events, especially for those seeking a unique wedding venue. The three-storey facility also features specialized meeting spaces, a museum, multi-media theatre, an expansive patio overlooking Blackcomb Mountain, gift shop with authentic Squamish and Lil’ wat art, and a cafe.
Before the opening of the SLCC, Squamish and Lil’wat culture had been virtually invisible in Whistler, even though artifacts dating from 25,000 years ago have been discovered and dated. The Squamish Nation are the original inhabitants of the tract of land starting in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, across to North and West Vancouver, over to the Gibsons area, and up to Squamish, and Whistler. The Lil’ wat First Nation are the original inhabitants of the Whistler and Pemberton regions. In fact, European contact did not occur in British Columbia until 1791!
Author Profile
Helen Siwak Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Communications, publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, and multiple digital lifestyle blogs. She is a content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist in the luxury lifestyle niche. She is a regular content contributor to Retail-Insider and has a vast freelance portfolio including Boulevard English & Chinese editions, Indulge, and Montecristo Magazine. When not attending high-profile events in Vancouver’s ‘Luxury Zone’ or on assignment abroad, she is honing her plant-based cooking skills and caring for her rescues. helen@ecoluxluv.com
Originally published at http://folioyvr.com on July 26, 2019.
