On Sunday we met up with my friend Sue and her lovely family to go and see the Klahowya Village in Stanley Park. I’m really glad they suggested it because it was a lot of fun! The Klahowya Village used to be set up in the Pan Pacific hotel in Vancouver during the Olympics, but recently was moved to Stanley Park.
Here is a picture of the beautiful entrance.
Inside were stands and tents set up selling everything from Aboriginal cuisine to crafts such as wood carved boxes and dream catchers.
Little Sister was amazed by everything!
This is a beautiful totem pole we came across inside. One of the first things we did was take a ride on the Spirit Catcher Train.
It was beautiful riding the train through the forest. The kids loved it!There were many nice displays set up.
At noon we watched an Aboriginal dance performance.
Listening to the words spoken and music was moving. One of my favorite parts was listening to the meaning behind the paint on their faces. Contrary to what you might think the paint was not war paint. The paint represented peace. I learned that the lines near the mouth represent speaking the truth, and the lines near the eyes are a reminder not to look down on others or to look up to them, but instead to look at fellow human beings as equals.
There is so much wisdom in that, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many great teachings are passed down from generation to generation that many of us are no longer in touch with. Being there brought a feeling of peace and tranquility. It allowed me to better absorb the beauty of nature that surrounded us.After the dance performance we visited the Children’s Farmyard.
I was surprised by how many animals were wondering around.
It took some convincing to talk the kids into leaving this section of the park! Following the farmyard we all headed down to the beach to watch the canoes come in.
Little Sister and Big Brother watching the action up close.The canoes were stunning and so were the beautiful carved paddles.
Part of me felt like I was taking a trip back in time and the other part was thinking about how different this would have looked years ago without all the industrialization in the background at a time when it was simply ocean and mountains.
Thank you Sue and family for inviting us!
Visiting the Klahowya Village in Stanley Park was a wonderful experience!
What wisdom have you learned from other cultures?
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