Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 17

Forest Spirits Suite 1 at Skwachàys Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery
Smudge Room entrance at Skwachàys Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery
L
ike many destinations around the world, Canada's history is one of a
people exerting power on others. While impossible to fully reconcile for
its past indiscretions, Canada is one of many nations that tries to shed
light on its history and the many Indigenous nations that were on the land
before European settlers arrived.
This comes in many different forms. In addition to keeping traditions alive
through annual ceremonies and historical sites, there are plenty of enlightening
Indigenous experiences for groups to engage in, as well as hotel properties and
venues currently owned and operated by First Nation tribes.
Indigenous Arts and Crafts in
VANCOUVER
Metropolitan Vancouver, British Columbia, is
home to the third-largest Indigenous population
in Canada, with 52,375 people. Cultural centers,
traditional cuisine, Indigenous art and practices
keep the population alive. Bringing your group
here to explore and experience the population
for themselves will both bond your attendees
and ensure these Indigenous practices live on.
Sleeping, Eating and Experiencing
the Culture
In 2012, the first Indigenous-owned hotel
in Canada opened. It goes by the name
Skwachays (pronounced 'swatch-eyes') Lodge
Aboriginal Hotel & Gallery, formerly Pender
Hotel. The property features 18 suites and is
Guided tour at the Squamish Lil'wat
Cultural Centre
adorned with local artwork from Indigenous
people on its top three floors.
On its ground floor, the hotel doubles as an
art gallery, and provides housing and studio
space for 24 artists who span the entire spectrum
of artistry, including jewelry, painting and
carving. To date, the program has had more
than 110 artists complete the program. Depending
on participation and achievements, artists
can look forward to a maximum residency
of three years. Attendees are welcome to visit
the studios of the resident artists.
Skwachays Lodge has five different spaces,
including an Indigenous Art Gallery in the hotel
lobby, where groups can meet among authentic
art by local Indigenous artists. The Indigenous
Smudge Room, one of the five venues, is where
the property's Smudging Ceremony takes place.
In this practice, Indigenous people place and
burn plants- Cedar Bows, Sage and Sweet
Grass-around a person's body, done as a way
to purify their body and spirit.
Whistler, north of Vancouver, is home to
the Squamish and Lil'wat First Nations. The
Squamish Nation, as it is today, has existed
since 1923. Before this, the Squamish people
were organized in separate physical communities:
the Burrard Inlet, English Bay, False Creek
and Howe Sound watersheds in. The majority
of the Nation now lives on the North Shore of
Vancouver in three communities in Western and
Northern Canada. The Lil'wat Nation artifacts
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Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre photo by Destination BC/Blake Jorgenson and
Smudge Room entrance photo by Destination Vancouver/Skwachays Lodge/Craig Minielly at Aura Photographics

Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue