Klahowya Village at Stanley Park
byAboriginal Tourism BC presents Klahowya Village in Stanley Park until September 12, 2010.
Occupying the space around the miniature railway and children’s farmyard, Klahowya Village involves artisans (wood carving, weaving, bark biting), interpretive tours, activities, food, crafts, entertainment, and the Spirit Catcher Train.
One of the artisans on site is Todd DeVries who does cedar bark weaving. His pieces are for sale and you’ll see him working on elaborate hats and baskets at behind his display. Along another path you can spot birch bark biting by Pat Bruderer. This is an ancient and now rare technique of creating art and telling stories by biting designs into thing strips of birch bark.
If you head to the village before August 24th (when the piece is being installed in the lagoon) you can catch Master Carver Richard Krentz working on a raven carving. Decorated with giant mussel shells, and abalone shells yet to be added, this piece represents transformation. Later this month it will be installed permanently in the lagoon near the children’s farmyard for all to enjoy.
For kids there’s a storytelling circle, crafts, and of course the miniature railway that has been transformed into the Spirit Catch Train. Train rides (that last just under 15 minutes and have a narration) are $7.50 for adults and $5 for kids and seniors.
Kids can also grab a “passport” at the entrance to the village so that they can visit locations throughout and collect stamps.
Cultural tours run on the hour from 11:00am until 5:00pm and there are dance performances every day at 12:00pm, 2:00pm and 4:00pm. Mike led my tour this morning and he was so friendly and helpful. He shared stories and explained the significance of common natural elements in the park — from ferns to giant cedars.
All of the wood used in the village is from the storm of 2006 that wiped out tens of thousands of trees in Stanley Park. The fallen trees and debris has been re-purposed as material for carvings, artwork, and display/way-finding signage.
Admission to the village is entirely free but you’ll want to bring some cash to purchase treats from the Feast House including bannock (savory or sweet), buffalo chili, and aboriginal tacos (bannock with buffalo chili). I had some bannock this morning and it was delightfully tasty. The aroma wafted from the Feast House, across the village, and mixed with that of fresh cedar carvings.
It’s such a great way to spend an afternoon in Stanley Park — learning about local and natural history from a culture that is over 800 generations strong. Klahowya Village is open daily from 10:00am until 6:00pm until September.
Contest
If you would like to win tickets to ride the Spirit Catcher Train please leave a comment on this post. I’ll draw one winner Wednesday August 18th, and another Wednesday August 25th. Each will receive a family pack (which is 4 tickets).
Update The winner August 18th is Janet. I’ll draw another from all entries next week.
Update The second winner is cindy quach.
Update The completed raven statue is being unveiled Friday August 27th at 12:30pm.
Update May, 2011: The village and Spirit Catcher Train have returned for 2011.
May 16 to September 11, 2011
Open daily from 10am to 6pm
Village Admission:
Adults $5
Senior/Child $3 per person
Free for Children under 2 years of age
Combo Price (Village & Train):
Adults $14 ($1 discount)
Senior/Child $10 ($1 discount)
Free for children under 2 years of age
Family Pack for 4 or more:
20% overall discount on the above options
57 Comments — Comments Are Closed
Spirit catcher train? sweet! looks like its about the right size for my nephew and niece!
Sounds like fun!
What an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon with family.
Sounds like fun 🙂
Nice to see Aboriginal culture being celebrated!
Looking forward in seeing it on the weekend, thanks promoting!
I’m actually planning on going down this weekend to check it out.
Thanks for the post- I heard about this earlier and wanted to give it a try. We’d love to ride the train. I’ve also wanted to taste some aboriginal cuisine. So pit stop at the Feast House for sure.
A great way to spend a summer day – before summer is over!
This post is great! Thanks for the opportunity!
Spirit catcher train. I can’t wait for it.
That sounds like a really fun way to spend a weekend….I had *no* idea that was going on. Thanks for letting me know!
I would love to win the tix! My son is obsessed with trains!
The kids would go crazy for this!!
This sounds neat!
Sounds like great fun!
Thank you for bringing this to me … although I live nearby I did not know about this one.
Sounds great, my son would love this.
My Japanese girlfriend that is visiting fro Japan would love to see this.
Would love to explore this village that’s practically in my backyard:)
This should be fun & educating … totally support it 😉
id like to win this
Sounds like fun, I would like to check it out, thanks!
Train rides are awesome! I really enjoy Aboriginal culture.
Sweet!
You had me at “bannock”!
Sounds like fun. Our three year old will love it!
That sounds great! My daughter will love the train!
Glad I spotted this! We’re off to the park today.
I would love to take the kids to see this – my daughter would love it, and my little guy would go nuts over that train!!
Sounds fabulous and delightful! Just discovered your blog today and am thrilled by all the info! Thanks!
Great to see the roots of Vancouver, Canada come to life and specially in world renowned Stanley Park. Definitely looking forward to experiencing it and sharing it with my family!
this would be great for the kids !
I would love to take my little girl to this to learn a little about her heritage!
Thanks!
This sounds fun!
We were here a few weeks ago! my son loved it:) we werent able to spare the cash for the train though! would love to try it out this time.
My girls are so interested in First Nations culture after our visit to the MOA and lots of Raven myths.
I have a sister living up in Haidi Gwaii and this would be fun!
The train route decorations at Halloween and Christmas were lovely. I’d love to see this one!
Sounds great!
Sounds like the perfect place to take family from out of town to!
wow you have a bunch of contests going on
this is such a good deal i might actually go without even winning this contest but if i did win then i’d definitely go 😉
Just found this awesome site. I had no idea about this event – my kids would just love to try this out! 😀
id love to go to this!
My two sons would love this!
Yes, please! I would love to go see the Klahowya Village at Stanley Park. I’d take my 2 grandsons and son and spend a lovely day in the park afterwards.
Thanks for the opportunity.
A year in Vancouver and only managed to get around stanley park on my bike!
The native singer/dancers are entertaining as well as educational.
This would be a great experience for my 2 grandchildren ages 8 and 10 years.
Sounds Great!!! I would love to win this great package & have fun day with my family.
Never been there. Sounds interesting enough.
WOW! I am so glad I’ve read this! I am coming to Vancouver tomorrow, and now this is definately on the list!
Would love to check this out!
That looks pretty cool and sounds like an awesome experience!
Amazing! I am working on a grassroots health initiative which will be based in Stanley Park. Stay Posted! Stanley Park Wellness Community – Come out to play!
twitter.com/SPWellness
It was fun! I went twice during the summer and i hope it does return next summer and many more summers to come! It’s cool to learn about the First Nations!
Where are the pics of the train ride? This is a main feature isnt it?