I have been partnered to work with the Gordon Neighbourhood House based in the West End, and my project for this organization is to help commemorate the GNH’s 70th anniversary, and trace some of the West End’s history in a timeline. While brainstorming ideas, I couldn’t help but mention histories that are often forgotten, such as the case of the last Native woman to live in Stanley Park – Aunt Sally – and her claims to that land. My supervisor Julio Bello found this story fascinating, and decided that this would be a story worth reviving.

In my project, I hope to reveal some “untold” stories, beginning in 1900 with First Nation’s histories, through the decades and highlighting differing immigrant shifts and its impact on the West End. I plan to meet with UBC professor Jean Barman, the author of Stanley Park’s Secrets. Her work has given me an altered perspective on one of Vancouver’s most famous landmarks. I hope to gain insight from her stories of the West End, and her experiences compiling all of this information – both personal and archival. Barman is not only interested in the Native histories that seem to have been written over by “official” text books, but she also focuses on the interaction between the “inhabitant” and the “immigrant”. Through her accounts, it becomes clear that different immigrants/settlers deal with similar situations in drastically different ways, which proves that the term “immigrant” is not a homogenous category. Some immigrants have been deemed fit to live in Vancouver, while others have not.

This relates to a similar point by Peter S. Li in his book Destination Canada[1]. On page 39 he mentions how many of the terms that Canadian policy makers and academics use are problematic. The word “immigrant,” for example, carries a host of connotations that not all people are aware of. The understanding of how “immigrant” should be used is inconsistent, and is highly contingent on what social circumstance the assessor and/or the newcomer find themselves in. There are a number of standard procedures that all outsiders must abide by. However, it would be a gross understatement to say that all immigrants receive the same treatment from embassies, borders, officials, and the general public of Canada. I wonder what entering Canada must have been like 100 years ago, 50 years ago, 10 years ago? I wonder when experience abroad became less acceptable to Canadian professions? Why do we praise certain histories through plaques and statues, while others are silenced and forgotten? These are some of the many questions I hope to uncover throughout the next few weeks of my research.

I have emailed many West End establishments with the goal of collecting as many personal photos and stories as possible. So far I have contacted the group in charge of the Pride Parade, the West End Community Centre, the Heritage Building Foundation, and the Davie Village Community Garden Committee. I hope to incorporate these personal “histories” within the timeline of the “official” or “archival” history of the West End, Vancouver, Canada, and beyond.

The cover of Stanley Park’s Secret: The Forgotten Families of Whoi Whoi, Kanaka Ranch and Brockton Point by Jean Barman.