sɬχil̕əx

"Our territory is marked by sites where powerful beings, χe:l̕s, the transformers, visited on their travels. They transformed people into animals or aspects of the landscape. sɬχil̕əx (standing) is an import transformation site where χe:l̕s transformed a man to stone for his conduct and, like other transformer sites, reminds us of our teachings and the interconnectedness of our territory.

sɬχil̕əx is also connected to sqimək̓ʷə́lməxʷ, a spring near Musqueam. It’s said that when χe:l̕s killed a giant octopus (devilfish) at Musqueam he flung the smallest tentacle and it landed at sɬχil̕əx. For this reason, there are many small octopus here today."

The history of this place is told by the Musqueam First Nation.

(Please note, this plaque has not yet been presented).

Please read through a statement on a 2022 Vancouver Parks Board and First Nations co- management.

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm traditional language is called hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. Please learn more about the Musqueam Language and Culture department and their work with language learners and educational resources here.

Visit the Museum of Vancouver‘s exhibit: c̓əsnaʔəm: city before the city

Check out the resources at the UBC Library Guide, including videos

Please spend time learning about xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Musqueam territory and places names  and use this comprehensive teaching tool, the Musqueam Teaching Kit, created for the public.

There are many places of importance to xʷməθkʷəy̓əm within what we call the City of Vancouver, and as part of Places That Matter via xʷməθkʷəy̓əm community nominations and voting, we are sharing five sites and their stories as told by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm. There are no physical plaques yet, but we hope these stories provide a deeper understanding of the significance of these places.

c̓əsnaʔəm

sən̓aʔqʷ  

spapəy̓əq

sɬχil̕əx  

χʷay̓χʷəy̓ 

Place Names: Please note that the name “Siwash” is Chinook jargon.