Bridging Communities: A Showcase of Cultural Exchange Between the Chinese and Indigenous Groups
In Canada’s multicultural landscape, cross-cultural exchange is vital in bridging diverse communities and preserving their heritage. The recent interaction between the Chinese Cultural Centre of Great Vancouver and the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre of Northern Secwepmec highlights the power of cross-cultural collaboration in the long journey of reconciliation. By celebrating both Chinese and Indigenous cultural traditions and treasures, the two centers not only foster mutual respect and understanding but also promote the holistic well-being of their communities.
by Keven Pi
. A Name Shared by Two Groups
It is perhaps just a coincidence that the two organizations share the same abbreviation of CCC as their names, Chinese Cultural Centre and Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre.
Who are exactly these CCCs? The former refers to the Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver which was founded in 1973 with the support of the government and of 53 community organizations along with that of many enthusiastic individuals.
In April 1974, Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver was duly constituted and registered with the Provincial and Federal governments as a nonprofit, charitable organization. A full city block was designated in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown. The first administration and education complex was completed in 1980. A commercial rental complex followed in 1981.
The completion of the Dr. David Lam Multipurpose Hall and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (developed by the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society) greatly enhanced Chinatown in 1986. A branch office was opened there in 1991 to serve the people of Richmond. In addition, the CCC Museum & Archives, with its ongoing and permanent art exhibits, library, and conference hall, is now open to the public.
The later, Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre, was opened on September 6, 2024, as a remarkable result of 20 years of continued work of the Northern Secwepmec Cultural Society (NSCS) and its predecessor Informal Working Group, celebrating the Northern Secwepmec culture and heritage.
Ckultenellcw, meaning ‘Our Culture of Long Ago’ in Secwepmec language, is located just across the street from the 108 Heritage Site on a two-acre parcel of land leased to the society by the Cariboo Regional District for $1 a year for the next 99 years.
The Secwepemc Nation currently consists of 17 Bands of which five are located in the Cariboo region of British Columbia, and describe themselves as Northern Secwepemc. They are Tsq’escen (Canim Lake), Stswecem’c Xget’tem (Canoe Creek), Esk’etemc (Alkali Lake), Xat’sull (Soda Creek) and T’exec (Williams Lake). All five were among the founding members of the NSCS when it was incorporated in July 2006, and have maintained active membership ever since.
The aim of the NSCS and of its predecessor group was from the outset to construct a cultural centre and museum somewhere within the traditional territories of its five constituent Bands. The project was sparked initially by an invitation in 2003 from the Board of Directors of the 100 Mile House & District Historical Society and its offer to lease a two-acre parcel of its land bordering the 108 Mile Lake in the South Cariboo.
In the following 20 years, the NSCS and its participating members worked continuously with funding support from federal and local departments and institutions. It finally achieved its goal of opening the new Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre in the Mile 108 site.
. A Similar Mission to Promote Heritage and Harmoney
Reading from the websites of both CCCs illustrates that both organizations share similar missions but with a focus on respective communities.
For example, Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver has its five-point mission that is listed on its website, which is worthy of repeating and representing here:
- To promote understanding and friendship between the Chinese community and other cultural groups in Canada;
- To interpret and communicate Chinese culture and to facilitate exchange with other cultural groups and with the community at large;
- To promote and foster Chinese culture and art within the Chinese community and with other cultural groups;
- To help Chinese immigrants adjust to the culture, heritage, and lifestyle in Canada;
- To build and maintain cultural facilities for the purpose of achieving these aims and objectives.
On the other hand, the NSCS as the founding organization of Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre has the following purposes:
- to gather and preserve information, records and objects of educational, historical and cultural value associated with the participating Indian Bands, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing.
- to establish and maintain a museum for the purpose of preserving, recording and exhibiting such materials for the education and enjoyment of the general public and for the general benefit of the members of the participating Indian Bands.
When it comes to cultural heritage and social harmony, the two CCCs have made clear statements to promote cultural understanding, trust, and benefit for the public.
. A Trip to 108 Mile Ranch
Friday, September 6, 2024, marked a special day for the Secwepemc Nation in the Cariboo region, and so did it for the Chinese community in Vancouver.
It was early morning that day. The sun had just risen from the horizon, and it was getting brighter and warmer. Over 20 people boarded a white mini-bus and left the metro Vancouver. Everyone was wearing a purple T-shirt with the Chinese cursive script “Dragon’s Heart Shows Its Journey” printed on it and marked by the Chinese Cultural Center of Greater Vancouver. Their destination was 108 Mile Ranch where an opening celebration of Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre was about to take place at 1 p.m.
There are nearly 470 KM from Vancouver to 108 Mile Ranch and it takes over 5 hours to get there by bus. The mini-bus was running as fast as it could on the Cariboo Highway, previously known as the Road of Gold Rush. Many Chinese pioneers and others were passing along this road for the gold rush in the mid-and-late 19th century.
Today on the bus, there are more than 20 passengers, including those in their 60s and those in their prime. These are Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver staff, teachers of CCC Chinese school, volunteers, and supporters. Some speak Cantonese or Shanghainese, and others speak Mandarin and some local dialects. When it became difficult to communicate with each other, a volunteer helped with an English translation.
Time passed by as the clock-ticking and the bus engine roared like a spurred horse neighing. The passengers’ hearts had already flown to the 108 Mile Ranch, where the opening ceremony was about to begin.
. A Ceremony Celebrating Northern Secwepemc Culture
Around 1 p.m., elders and kids, leaders and members of the Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation, Williams Lake First Nation, Esk’etemc First Nation, Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation and the Xatśūll First Nation came together for a drumming ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre.
The Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre is a new culture facility celebrating Northern Secwepmec culture. The design creates a cultural centre expressed as a part of the landscape, forming a backdrop to the traditional references, experiences, and demonstrations within.
Built into the hillside, the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre uses natural elements to blend with its surroundings. Wood screens along the facade echo the neighbouring trees, enhancing the site-landscape-building integration leading to an immersive interior exhibit experience. The building and landscape design weave cultural elements into the fabric of the structure and land, embodying a reverence for the site and a celebration of Northern Secwepemc heritage.
Inside Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre, photos, cultural relics, and daily necessities are displayed in the exhibit hall, which vividly presents the traditional lifestyle and spirit of the Northern Sekwepec people and the impact of the colonists on their culture of long ago.
At the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre’s opening ceremony, several representatives took the opportunity to speak and praise the NSCS for their hard work in completing the project.
“The Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre will stand as a beacon of our rich heritage, a place where people from every land and nation can come to learn about our culture of long ago,” Chief Henderson said. “This centre will exist on the very land that has been intertwined with our people’s stories since time immemorial reminding us of our deep-rooted connections to this beautiful territory.”
During the opening of the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre, the representatives from Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver, all in purple, presented members of the NSCS with a copy of an ancient Chinese painting, which added a special warm congratulation to the opening.
. A Gift Says More than A Thousand Words
Mother Teresa once said, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” It is so true that a gift may say more than a thousand words.
Mr. Fred Kwok, the chairperson of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver, specially brought a silk scroll of the famous Chinese painting “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” with important historical and cultural significance as a gift to the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre to symbolize Chinese culture’s respect for indigenous culture. and support to promote exchanges and friendship between the two cultural communities.
“Along the River During the Qingming Festival” is a handscroll painting by the Song dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145) and copied or recreated many times in the following centuries. It captures the daily life of people and the landscape of the capital city, Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng) during the Northern Song period.
Read right to left, as a viewer would unroll it, successive scenes reveal the lifestyle of all levels of the society from rich to poor as well as economic activities in both rural areas and the city, and offer glimpses of clothing and architecture. The painting is considered the most renowned work among all Chinese paintings, and it has been called “China’s Mona Lisa.”
The scroll is 25.5 centimetres (10.0 inches) in height and 5.25 meters (5.74 yards) long. In its length, there are 814 humans, 28 boats, 60 animals, 30 buildings, 20 vehicles, 8 sedan chairs, and 170 trees.
Despite such complexity, 17 bridges are scattered across the scroll, where the great bridge, called the Rainbow Bridge, crossing the river is the center and main focus of the scroll. Was the painter trying to bring people’s attention to the bridges that connect humans and society?
. Rome Wasn’t Built in A Day
It is often said that Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor is it a bridge crossing diverse cultures.
Mr. Kwok explained how this building of a cultural bridge started. During the last week of April, Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver hosted an intimate dinner for a small group of Northern Secwepemc leaders. “We have been interested in learning more about the history and culture of indigenous people for some time. We were introduced to the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre project in August 2023 when we visited the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre construction site and met with NSCS President Irene Gilbert, while on our way back to Vancouver from a visit to Barkerville’s Indigenous Celebrations.”
A newsletter of NSCS in March 2024, further elaborated on the interactions between Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver and indigenous groups:
In September 2022, members of the Chinese community (CCC) sponsored and organized a special concert marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Over the Rainbow, that was held at the Michael J Fox Theatre in Burnaby, including performances by Aboriginal and Canadian Chinese artists, and they have demonstrated a sincere interest in learning more about indigenous culture, and in forging a closer relationship with First Nations people.
It should also be noted here that members of the group (CCC) have already donated the chairs and tables that we will need in our new Cultural Centre in order to host meetings and seminars for various groups. The Kukpi7s will be able to express our gratitude to their hosts when they meet in April.
“A relationship is built on trust, and the trust is maintained by understanding and respect,” said Mr. Kwok. “Chinese community and Indigenous people had interaction a long time ago. Not many people knew how they supported and lived alongside each other in the face of racism and marginalization.”
Mr. Kwok continued with a story of Larry Grant, who was born to a Chinese father, Hong Tim Hing, and a Musqueam matriarch, Agnes Grant in Agassiz, B.C. Grant was the second of four children born to the couple.
Hong Tim Hing was from Sei Moon, a village in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province. He immigrated in 1920 and was part of a group of Chinese migrants who had farmed on a vegetable farm owned by Agnes’ father, Seymour Grant on the Musqueam reserve.
Later, the Grant family was made to move from Musqueam to Vancouver’s Chinatown as a result of the removal of Indian status due to Agnes’ marriage to a non-Indigenous man. Grant was raised with help from his grandparents and the Musqueam community.
Grant was considered by the Canadian government as a Chinese citizen due to his ancestry and was excluded from attendance within the Canadian Indian residential school system. Despite their mixed ancestry, the people of the Musqueam reserve treated the Grant children as fully Musqueam. Grant was able to learn the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language from his mother who passed the oral history to him.
“There was a documentary video on YouTube showing the Grant family’s trip to Guangdong, China to meet their father’s side of the family.” Added Mr. Kwok, “You should watch it.”
Conclusion
This experience of Chinese Cultural Centre of Vancouver participating in the Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre opening ceremony is a perfect example showcasing that both Chinese culture and indigenous culture have a long history and profound heritage. Mutual respect and understanding between cultures are an important cornerstone for the two groups and all Canadians to promote multicultural integration and social harmony.
“In the future, our Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver will continue to strengthen ties with the local community and make unremitting efforts to promote understanding and friendship between different cultures,” concludes Mr. Kwok.
References:
- All Our Father’s Relations – Faculty of Arts (ubc.ca)
- Along the River During the Qingming Festival – Wikipedia
- C. Indigenous cultural centre project receives $4M federal grant – Construction Canada
- Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver Chinese Languae School│Vancouver BC (cccvan.com)
- Ckultenellcw Cultural Centre to open this fall – The Williams Lake Tribune (wltribune.com)
- FINAL_Fundraiser doc_108 Mile House_rev 1 JULY 12 2019.indd (nsculturalsociety.ca)
- Larry Grant (elder) – Wikipedia
- Microsoft Word – 24-03-newsletter.docx (nsculturalsociety.ca)
- Northern Secwepemc Cultural Society – The Project (nsculturalsociety.ca)
- Northern Secwepemc Cultural Society (nsculturalsociety.ca)
- Northern Secwepmec communities celebrate opening of new heritage centre – The Williams Lake Tribune (wltribune.com)
- The 50-year Journey of The Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver – Voices and Bridges
- 大溫哥華中華文化中心參加Ckultenellcw文化中心落成典禮 (qq.com)
- 紫恤衫与羊毛毯 (qq.com)
- Keven PI is a Grade 12 student at St. George’s Senior School, Vancouver, BC. This essay is part of his project of Contemporary Indigenous Studies at school.
- Photos from CCC.
Disclaimer:
Voices & Bridges publishes opinions like this from the community to encourage constructive discussion and debate on important issues. Views represented in the articles are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the V&B.