It's been a week since I visited the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre and the braid of cedar around my wrist is still there. The bracelet reminds me to breathe more deeply. It reconnects me with the sense of expansiveness I felt the second I walked through the Centre's giant carved doors.
Making the bracelet at the end of my visit also brought home the skillfulness of the Squamish and Lil'wat artisans, whose watertight baskets and ocean-going canoes, many of which are on exhibit at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, are evidence of both artistic craftsmanship and a deep sense of sustainability.
Up until the opening of the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler four years ago, viewing Salish art on exhibit in galleries or museums was the only way many of us had to interact with this region's First Nations culture. There wasn't an opportunity to actually connect with the people.
Now there is. And it's the human connection that is the most compelling, and surprising, part.
"People's first reaction to this place?" says Lil'wat Nation Ambassador Sik Sik (Josh Anderson). "Shock. They don't know what to expect. I don't think they really expect to see actual First Nations people."
All the frontline staff are either members of the Squamish or the Lil'wat Nation, and they take their role as ambassadors seriously.
"I get to represent our people," says Anderson, as he pours me a glass of xusem or soapberry juice to taste. "And let everyone around the world know that the two Nations are alive and well and we still practice our traditions."
Ambassadors welcome visitors with singing, dancing or drumming, as was recently featured in the Whistler Sabbatical Project video interview with Lil'wat Nation Ambassador Mixalhitsa (Alison Pascal). (Watch it at wouldyoudoit.com.) They encourage touching, fidgeting, fondling, asking questions, as they share stories about different exhibits, because most First Nation art pieces have a living spirit - one that needs the interaction of people.
The Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre is a more interactive experience than any I've ever had at a museum or gallery, because the interaction happens with First Nations ambassadors whose primary goal is to make you feel as welcome as if you were a member of the family. "We just want people to feel welcome and comfortable here," says Anderson.
And if that's not a powerful enough take-away from the experience, there's always a cedar rope bracelet reminder to breathe deeply and see the world afresh.
