As we mark the five-year anniversary of the signing of our Sustainability and Friendship Agreement with Musqueam, important cultural work continues to take place at YVR.
On July 19, we came together with Musqueam Indian Band and members of the Gitxsan Nation, to raise a Musqueam welcome figure in Chester Johnson Park, near the International Arrivals area at the airport. In doing this, we also relocated three traditional Gitxsan poles to a neighbouring park.
Musqueam are the original stewards of Sea Island, where YVR is located, making it important for Indigenous works of art at the airport to be created by Musqueam to reflect their culture and tradition.
The newly raised welcome figure in Chester Johnson Park, carved by ʔəy̓xʷatələq (Musqueam artist Brent Sparrow), will greet the millions of travellers and visitors to the airport and Musqueam territory with a traditional Musqueam welcome, which aligns with cultural protocol and strengthens YVR’s unique sense of place.
Prior to the Musqueam welcome figure, three Gitxsan poles stood in the park. Created in 1970 by the late Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs, Chief Delgamuukw (Earl Muldon) and Chief Simogyet Geel (Walter Harris) who carved the poles with a group of students from the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art, situated in the historic village of K’san. The K’san poles, as they have come to be known, have been on loan to YVR from the Museum of Vancouver since 1995.
YVR is platform for our community to connect and thrive. Raising the welcome figure together with Musqueam and repositioning artworks of Gitxsan Nation is significant step forward on our journey of reconciliation with Musqueam. We look forward to what’s next as we continue on our path with Musqueam, acting with intention with each step towards the legacy we want to leave.
