šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn square
The home of our Thursday Downtown Farmers Market has a new name! On June 18, 2018 the City of Vancouver, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and sə̓lílwətaʔɬ(Tsleil-Waututh) announced šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn as the new name for Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza.
Meaning “a place one is invited to” in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the language of Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh and “a place one is invited to celebrate” in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, the language of the Squamish Nation, šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn refers to the Walks for Reconciliation which bring tens of thousands of people to the plaza to walk together in recognition of residential school survivors, acknowledge those that did not survive, and celebrate the work that’s being done to redress this legacy.
Watch the “Say it with us!” video to learn more about the new name and how to pronounce it!
