X̱wi7x̱wa Library (pronounced “whei-wa”) 

A space created as an academic Indigenous library, the only Indigenous branch in Canada, countering traditional colonial libraries. It was constructed in 1992, designed after structures built by Interior Salish Nations called the Kekuli, or in English, the ‘pit house’ (X̱wi7x̱wa Library 2025).  

This structure was done a couple of years after the construction of a First Nations Longhouse, the first of its kind to be constructed on UBC grounds. The library’s development was created to focus on Indigenous histories and cultures being depicted as “a place where they can read about what our people did in the past”- Squamish Chief Simon Baker (X̱wi7x̱wa Library 2025). 

The environmental impact of the project was the cutting down of two trees to develop the library, but those trees were then incorporated as a part of a waterfall feature within the building, representing the importance of water to Indigenous culture. 

A lesser known or concealed history about this location is the significance of its name and deep meaning that correlates to Indigenous histories. As mentioned, the library is pronounced “whei-wa”, which means ‘echo’ in the Squamish language; the importance of this namesake stems from the use of echoes as a means to travel in pre-colonial times, the echo serving as a compass to get around. 

You could connect this “echo” into contemporary contexts with the library itself serving as an “echo”, delivering Indigenous histories and cultures from their ancestors, reiterating Indigenous knowledge and traditions.