Connect to Indigenous culture and communities through online workshop
Dennis Thomas from Takaya Tours is hosting a free workshop with Indigenous Tourism BC to celebrate National Indigenous Month. The online workshop will focus on the connection between wellness and nature.
June is National Indigenous History Month. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the cultures of Indigenous peoples in Canada. To help with that, Indigenous Tourism BC has organized several free online virtual workshops where people from anywhere in Canada can participate.
The Weather Network had a chance to meet with Dennis Thomas from Takaya Tours, who is co-hosting the National Indigenous History Month Honouring Wellness Virtual Event.
Dennis gave us a tour of Whey-ah-wichen (also known as Cates Park). Whey-ah-wichen, which means ‘facing the wind’, is an ancestral summer village.
SEE ALSO: Indigenous constellations; part-science, part-art, all-important
This was an important area for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. They would travel by canoe throughout the Burrard Inlet and collect plants and animals that they used for food, medicines, and clothing. They depended heavily on rockfish, mussels, salmon, and clams, which you can see lining the shore in the video above.
For Dennis, this is still a special place to this day.
“Wellness for me is getting out on this land, getting out on this beach, being in nature. And understanding the power of nature and how we need to take care of nature.”
He hopes that this is the message he will convey during the workshop which is taking place on June 22nd. He will be sharing his ancestral knowledge and fostering an appreciation for wilderness and authentic Indigenous culture.
You can sign up for the free event on the Indigenous BC website.
--
Thumbnail image credit: Destination BC
