A Glimpse into the Changes of Stanley Park and Deadman's Island

 Though opened to the public for recreational purposes since September 7th, 1888, the establishment of Stanley Park contributed to the erasure of Musqueam, Tsleil Waututh, and Squamish First Nations culture. As a result of park road construction in 1887, much evidence of Indigenous inhabitation, debris, had discovered, but also lost; of course, existing structures in the Squamish village, Whoi Whoi (X̱wáýx̱way), were not spared from being demolished. In addition to the destruction of Indigenous structures, the majority of residents in Whoi Whoi were forced out of the area.  Although a small number of Indigenous residents continued to reside in Stanley Park during the 20th century, faced with a series of losses in legal cases against the Park Board in the 1920s, remaining residents were soon evicted. Upon the Park Board's victory at the B.C. Supreme Court in 1923, four Kwakwaka’wakw / Kwakiutl totem poles were put up near Lumberman's Arch for the purpose of indicating the ...

          Throughout the 20th century, the board of Stanley Park made many changes to the environment. For example, in 1911, grey squirrels were purchased from an American company for the sake of adding to the existing native Douglas squirrels at Stanley Park; as well, in the 1930s non-native mute swans were presented into the park. At the time, the reduction of animals, such as crows and so-called 'pests', were also seen as attempts to improve the park environment. Therefore, from 1910 through 1961, members of the Vancouver Gun Club were invited to shoot crows at the park. On the other hand, ponds were constructed in an effort to support animals, such as ducks and swans, which the board did not find unpleasant and predatory, unlike crows.   Naturally , throughout this time, resources such as fish and the nearby waters were also affected. Beaver Lake, named in 1907 due to the beavers spotted at the location, became the place which the Vancouver A...

A woman biking along the  Seawall path Recently, modern day contributions to Stanley Park has created it's reputation as one of British Columbia's biggest tourism attractions. The recreational facility attracts thousands of visitors everyday to enjoy it's natural and manmade landmarks caused by colonization. There are still natural characteristics that has been remained from pre-settlement like Siwash Rock, however the meaning of the land to settlers and Indigenous people has changed drastically. During pre-settlement, the land meant a great deal to the First Nations people as it provided natural resources for survival such as wild animals, trees, berries and plants. They had a respectable relationship with the land by being sustainable and treating the natural characteristics with care. The relationship was sadly ended when non-native settlers came along. There were lots of changes to the environment including the replacement of hemlock and spruce trees, addition to wildli...

  Overview of Stanley Park Even though thousands of visitors come to Stanley Park to  stroll through the lush green forests and pass by their infamous landmarks such as the Seawall and Brockton totem poles daily, many aren't aware of the area's Indigenous history.   Luckily, today there are still people who are willing to keep their heritage and customs alive by educating tourists and locals about their land, people and environment.  The Stanley Park Ecology Society, is a non-profit organization that works with the Vancouver board of Parks on spreading awareness about natural habitats and respect for the natural world. They have been inputing more opportunities to educate tourists and locals with seasonal walking tours that highlight Indigenous history and traditional plant usage, they are led by guides of First Nations descents which makes the experience more authentic.       Starla Bob, one of the tour guides with First Nations lineage at Stanl...

Located in Coal  Harbour  just south of Stanley Park,  is the 3.8 hectare isle known as Deadman's  island. Initially this site was used as a traditional Indigenous burial ground where customary tree burials would take place. This practice involved placing the deceased body on wooden scaffolding or shelves built into a tall tree, roughly 2.5 meters high. Their body would be wrapped in cloth and animal hide and placed in a coffin before being put into the tree. Gifts and other treasured possessions would be left on the scaffolding by the family as a way to honor the dead.  The body would remain in the tree for around a year, and eventually the body, as well as the wooden coffin, would decompose, resulting in the remains falling to the base of the tree. At this point an earth burial would be performed, normally at village cemetery. Despite this being a traditional custom, meant as a way to both honor the deceased and allow their family to figurativel...

Located between Third Beach, Prospect Point and the Lions Gate Bridge stands the abstract-looking basalt stone known as Siwash Rock. This peculiar shaped boulder was created as a result of a volcanic dyke which formed millions of years ago within the mudstone and sandstone foundation of the park. This occurrence forced scalding hot magma upwards through a crack in the surface, resulting in a basalt rock, that is significantly tougher than the nearby rock cliffs . However, long before the scientific explanation for this phenomenon, the Squamish First Nations had their own historical account of how the stone came to be. It was said that thousands of years ago a chief named Skalsh and his wife swam in the Burrard Narrows the night before their first child was to be born in order to purify themselves, as was custom at the time. Even after his wife had retreated to the forest, Skalsh continued to swim and thus was challenged by the gods to stop and to make way for their holy canoe. Howeve...

  Works Cited “125 years of Stanley Park in photos.” City of Vancouver, vancouver.ca/parks-recreation culture/sp125-photo-gallery.aspx. Accessed 15 Feb. 2021. "Aboriginal Fisheries in British Columbia" Indigenous Foundations,  no publication date listed.  indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/aboriginal_fisheries_in_british_columbia/#:~:text=the%20traditional%20fisheries.-,Fishing%20since%20time%20immemorial,flourishing%20economies%20based%20on%20salmon. Acessed on 25 Feb 2021 Barman, Jean. “Stanley Park’s Secret: The Forgotten Families of Whoi Whoi, Kanaka Ranch and Brockton Point” BC Studies, 4 Nov 2013. bcstudies.com/book_film_review/stanley-parks-secret-the-forgotten-families-of-whoi-whoi-kanaka-ranch-and-brockton-point/. Accessed 24 Feb. 2021. Barman, Jean. “Erasing Indigenous Indigeneity in Vancouver.” BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly , no. 155, Autumn 2007, pp. 3-30, doi:10.14288/bcs.v0i155.626 “Beaver Lake Nature Walk.” Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreati...