xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Gathering Place
Journey Canoe
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)
Journey Canoe · YVR, Domestic Arrivals, Level 2 · 3211 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond, BC
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) · Carvers: Lyle & Johnny Louis, with 100+ YVR staff · Unveiled: August 2023
A 600-year-old cedar log. Over a hundred carvers. And a bear that appeared in the wood.
The Work
Most travellers pass through Vancouver International Airport without knowing that one of its most significant cultural spaces is waiting for them in Domestic Arrivals. The xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Gathering Place is built around a single extraordinary object — a thirty-foot canoe hand-carved from a red cedar log that was already six centuries old when the first blade touched it.
Unveiled on the United Nations International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in August 2023, the Journey Canoe is unlike anything else in the terminal. Where most airport art is static and untouchable, this canoe is alive. It is seaworthy — designed for actual use on the water during cultural events and community journeys.
The canoe was carved by Musqueam master carvers Lyle and Johnny Louis alongside more than one hundred YVR staff members. As the carving progressed, the natural grain of the ancient wood revealed an image the carvers identified as a grizzly bear swimming. They understood this as the canoe naming itself — a moment of traditional significance woven into the making of the work.
The Gathering Place is a physical expression of the Musqueam-YVR Friendship Agreement, a thirty-year pact signed in 2017 that commits the airport to sustainable development, economic opportunity, and cultural protection on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm territory. The space includes a detailed timeline of Musqueam history — allow time to read it.
Know Before You Go
Located in Domestic Arrivals, Level 2, YVR Main Terminal. Accessible year-round to arriving domestic passengers. The space includes interpretive panels and a Musqueam history timeline — allow extra time to engage with the full display. Fully accessible.
Note: If arriving on an international flight, the Welcome Figures, Flight, and Out of Silence in the International Terminal are your first encounters with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm culture in the building — visit those first, then make your way to Domestic Arrivals for the Gathering Place.
Best time to visit: Quietest during off-peak domestic arrival windows — mid-morning and early afternoon on weekdays.
Getting There
By Transit — Canada Line SkyTrain directly to YVR Airport Station. Follow signs to Domestic Arrivals, Level 2.
By Vehicle — YVR is accessible via the Arthur Laing Bridge from Vancouver or Highway 99 from the south. Short-term parking available in the terminal parkade. Accessible parking on designated levels.
Arriving from downtown Vancouver? Take the Canada Line from Waterfront Station — 25 minutes direct to YVR.
CONTINUE THE TRAIL
Hours
Explore More Places
Shearwater Resort | Indigenous Wilderness Resort
Immerse yourself in Heiltsuk hospitality at our wilderness resort. Explore eco tours, fishing trips, and cozy accommodations with Indigenous influences.
Female Welcome Figure
First Welcome Trail
In Musqueam culture, Welcome Figures welcome visitors to our territory. The original poles were house posts and placed at the entrances of our house - right at the doorway inviting you in, welcoming you. Located behind the Vancouver School Board in public plaza.
Serpent Slayer - Welcome Pole
Public Art
At Belcarra Regional Park, on the shores of Burrard Inlet, stands a welcome pole carved by Tsleil-Waututh master carver TsuKwalton (Jonas Jones). It carries one of the Nation's most powerful origin stories — of a young boy swept away by seals, raised in the sea kingdom, and returned to his people as a warrior who could face what no one else could. This is his territory. This is where that story happened. The pole brings it back to the shore where it belongs.
“Return of the Orca” Welcome pole
Public Art
Return of the Orca” Welcome pole at Whey-ah-Wichen (Cates Park) in North Vancouver, carved by TsuKwalton Jonas Jones. the Return of the Orca carries the story of Great Chief wacəq II, whose deep relationship with the salmon and the natural world continues to guide Tsleil-Waututh teachings today.
