The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives has had the pleasure of hosting the Chátwilh exhibit, on loan from the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre for the past year.
This Saturday, May 3, the museum is inviting the community to join them for the launch of the canoe Stelkaya or Striking Wolf from Winegarden Park at 9 a.m. as it begins its journey back to Mosquito Creek in North Vancouver.
For the first leg of this trip, local paddlers and skipper Wes Nahanee will take it on the three to four-hour journey to Horseshoe Bay. They will be met by a contingency of Squamish paddlers, some of them cultural ambassadors from the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, who will take it on the second leg of the trip to Mosquito Creek on the North Shore.
To celebrate in accordance with Squamish protocol, there will be a shared meal for the paddlers at the end of the day.
The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives sends out a big thank you to Sarah Goodwin and Julie Baker from the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre for the invitation to exchange exhibits; to Chief Ian Campbell for curating the original Chátwilh exhibit; to Ed Hill, Fred Stark, the Gibsons Paddle Club and the Gibsons Fire Department for help moving the canoe; and to Nahanee for volunteering his time towards the return paddle.
