Stanley Park: The Land and its People

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The peninsula now known as Stanley Park has been an important site for the Squamish, Tsleil‐waututh and the Musqueam Coast Salish peoples for thousands of years. For a period of time during 16,000 to 11,000 BCE, Coast Salish ancestors arrived from Asia and made a home for themselves in the Stanley Park area. For centuries after they lived off the land, utilizing the natural resources found in the surrounding forest and bay, and creating thriving communities, most notably Whoi Whoi (X̱wáýx̱way) and Chaythoos.

A large part of the area was used as seasonal hunting ground for both marine and terrestrial animals, and since the land was in such close proximity to water, fishing became a key resource for these villages, both for food and trade. Salmon in particular were an essential resource, since they were readily available due to breeding grounds along the coast in freshwater rivers. As with all their harvesting methods, sustainability was crucial, weirs, a low dam built from reeds, stones or wooden posts, were built to funnel salmon to shallow waters or lagoons to be caught. Where the fishing could be done was determined by the elders of the community and often various communities would work together. This practice was done at specific times of the year and the amount of harvesting was regulated to ensure the survival of the species. By the time fish canneries first began to appear on the BC coast in the 1880's, most of the Indigenous peoples economy was based on the fishing of salmon.


Candace Campo guiding the
Talaysay Tours Talking Tree Tour

In addition to the hunting done in the area, a sizable amount of their resources were gathered from the forest that encompassed the peninsula. The First Nations peoples had developed many techniques in order to create a sustainable harvest; for instance the harvesting of Douglas Firs sap was done by carving a hole into the tree, this would cause sap to flow to the laceration in order to heal itself, similar to the formation of a scab. It was important to only carve one hole as not to damage the tree. After the cut had been made a Pitch pot would be used to catch and hold the leaking sap. 

However much sap was collected would be used to treat cuts, burns, infections and gum diseases, such as gingivitis. According to Candace Campo, the partial owner of Talaysay Tours company, when speaking with the Vancouver Sun, "...the temperate rainforest of the coast is home to 122 different plants that the Coast Salish peoples used". These plants were utilized for both food and medicine; herbs like Western Hemlock shoots were found to be a good source of vitamin C, and traditional teas were crafted using dandelions, raspberry leaves and stinging needles.

However, this harmonious relationship with the land would be forever altered with the arrival of European colonizers in the 1790s. Whose harvesting methods were significantly less sustainable and instead prioritized mass deforestation and hunting in order to build settlements faster. As well as the introduction of new plant life by settlers, such as replacing many of the Western Hemlocks with Douglas firs. To account for the lack of Hemlock trees, Indigenous communities learned to harvest Douglas firs and utilize its resources.

Luckily despite the many changes the area has undergone, there are still people working to keep the heritage of this land relevant and known. Groups like Talaysay Tours have been educating people on the Indigenous history of Stanley Park for nearly two decades with their Talking Tree Tours.


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