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K̓esugwilakw
@sierratasibaker

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X̱ats'alanexw’s architectural model of his Laḿ, Home/ Longhouse, in “Kits” created to explain to City Archivist Major Matthew’s Longhouse Construction during their conversations in the 1930’s. When I was at the @museumofvan the other day looking at their collections I walked past it and recognized it right away and got really excited! My first interaction and knowing of its existence was coming across this 1935 photo of it in the Major Matthew’s COV archives and didn’t know it still existed let alone was still intact and in the MOV collections Major Matthew’s consistently wrote that X̱ats'alanexw had “no prior experience or training” in drawing or architecture to express how unusual it was for X̱ats'alanexw to be producing architectural sections, plans and scale models to explain our cultural building techniques and communities to him. For me this just shows we’ve always understood and have deeply integrated cultural understandings of design. We would build mega structures over 1,000 feet long and have large scale high density cities/villages that could host over 10,000 guests during the winter times. I’ve come across this in my work and career as well in spatial design where there’s this assumption that Indigenous architecture is a “new field” which is false. We’ve always understood community planning, architecture and design. The level of planning and knowledge that goes into creating high density, aerobic, articulated spaces that are moveable and seasonally functional is innovative architecture and design. This also just demonstrates best practices for integrated environmental approaches to community planning in these territories. When we integrate these ancestral design practices into our work we inherently ameliorate the design process by rooting it in place based climatic, environmental and communal host practices. Photo 1: COV In P32, Major Matthew’s, 1935 Photo 2: Photo I took on August 16th, 2023 Photo 3: MOV Collections #ArchitecturalDesign #ArchitecturalModel #IndigenousDesign #DecolonizeThisCity #Kitsilano #Khatsahlano #CoastSalish #CoastSalishDesign #sḵwx̱wú7mesh #sḵwx̱wú7meshdesign #CoastSalishArchitecture #ArchivalResearch