New name for Stanley Park?

[Howaboutthat]

I'm sorry, but in my opinion our elected officials are going WAY too far in even considering this. I'm getting sick and tired of coddling to the First Nations in this province. It not all about them!!
To change the name of the world-famous Stanley Park to something with a bunch of X's, Y's and W's, is beyond belief. I see they've already changed the miniature railway to the Spirit Catcher Train.
Elsewhere the Kermode Bear is now the Spirit Bear, the central coast is the Great Bear Rainforest (here's a tip... the whole friggin coast is a rainforest!), the Queen Charlotte Islands are Haida Gwaii, and there's something called the Salish Sea.
I'm getting tired of MY heritage being blown out of the water!
Don't mess with Stanley Park!
(here's the article in its entirety from today's Vancouver Province)

Vancouver's world-famous Stanley Park will be renamed Xwayxway, if native leaders get their wish.

Xwayxway, pronounced kwhykway, was the name of the large permanent native village that existed at what is now Lumberman's Arch.

"To restore the name to Xwayxway would be deeply meaningful -- we'd have to consult our elders and council, but I think it's high time that was done," said Squamish Chief Ian Campbell, whose Skwxwu7mesh (Squamish) name is Xalek/Sekyu Siyam.

The suggestion came Wednesday during an emotional opening of the Klahowya Village and Spirit Catcher Train in the park.

The village, which will employ 40 members of the Musqueam, Sechelt and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, is open from today until Sept. 6.

Squamish elder Emily Baker, 95, and Sechelt elder Theresa Jeffries said the park should revert to the First Nations name it carried for thousands of years instead of that of Lord Stanley, whose name the park has had for 122 years.

"Why do they call it Stanley Park, by a white man's name, when our ancestors lived here for 10,000 years?" demanded Jeffries.

Jefferies pointed out that Queen Charlotte Islands recently reverted to its original native name.

"It's always been Haida Gwaii and now the government finally took back their Queen Charlotte Islands name."

Baker agreed: "Where that nine o'clock gun is, that is where my grandfather was buried. We had a village at Lumberman's Arch, we lived all through here and the name should reflect our people."

Tourism Minister Kevin Krueger enthusiastically endorsed the idea.

"I would happily carry forth a proposal to change the name of the park, to choose a First Nations name," said Krueger, one of the guests at the opening ceremony.

"We have the Salish Sea, we have Haida Gwaii and I look forward to talking to you about what your people called this place."

Wade Grant, a Musqueam councillor who helped run the Four Host First Nations pavilion during the Olympics, said the park is "a perfect place for the Klahowya Village."

"For thousands of years, the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh all lived in this area.

"For far too long, this place has been void of drums. Now the trees, our ancestors, will remember. They'll hear those drums and welcome us back."

Vancouver Coun. Ellen Woodsworth, representing Mayor Gregor Robertson, also thought the name change is "an excellent suggestion."

"An aboriginal name would honour the land's history," she said, noting native homes were destroyed or barged out of the park over time.

Woodsworth said that, when the three First Nations officially put forward the name proposal, "we'll enthusiastically follow up and also consult with the public."

Stanley Park, a 404.9-hectare urban park, opened in 1888 in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the governor-general of Canada. It attracts about eight million visitors every year.

sfournier@theprovince.com

[Neumann Sennheiser]

"Why do they call it Stanley Park, by a white man's name, when our ancestors lived here for 10,000 years?"

She makes a strong point although I don't see this going anywhere, any further, anytime soon.
I myself, the whitest white guy of Scots heritage you'll ever meet, prefer to call the local mountain around here by it's traditional name "Tahoma" rather than the more well known and accepted "Mount Ranier"; just sounds cooler to me.
Xwayxway is a bit more of a mouthfull.

[Steve Sanderson]

Where is all this leading??
What name do they have in store to replace 'Vancouver' with?
After all, it is named after some white guy too!

[jawbone]

Here's a thought.
Have the First Nations show some real interest in the park for a while, other than just one-time naming rights.
Put on shows for tourists and special days, like Canada Day, in the park, at no further cost to taxpayers for a generation or so.
Then we can talk.

[Dan Sys]

Where is all this leading??
What name do they have in store to replace 'Vancouver' with?
After all, it is named after some white guy too!

Never mind Vancouver Steve, I heard they are proposing to rename Cloverdale to Doofusdale.

[slowhand]

I myself, the whitest white guy of Scots heritage you'll ever meet, prefer to call the local mountain around here by it's traditional name "Tahoma" rather than the more well known and accepted "Mount Ranier"; just sounds cooler to me.

How dare anyone even consider renaming a mountain named after Princess Rainier, the most beautiful actress of her time and Alfred Hitchcock's favourite, the ex-Grace Kelly?

How about a compromise? Mt. Rainier becomes Tahoma and the city of Tacoma becomes Rainier after both the now 11 year dead Seattle brewing company and Grace Kelly.

Seriously, wouldn't it make more sense and be a lot cheaper to print two B.C. maps or a larger two sided one? One with all the native names and one with all the names the rest of us know things by.

[Howaboutthat]

How dare anyone even consider renaming a mountain named after Princess Rainier, the most beautiful actress of her time and Alfred Hitchcock's favourite, the ex-Grace Kelly?

How about a compromise? Mt. Rainier becomes Tahoma and the city of Tacoma becomes Rainier after both the now 11 year dead Seattle brewing company and Grace Kelly.

I swear slowhand, you are making less and less sense as the days go by.

[Jack Bennest]

wouldn't it make more sense and be a lot cheaper to print two B.C. maps or a larger two sided one? One with all the native names and one with all the names the rest of us know things by.

yes it would and the Natives, Aborginals or BC Indians would be further ahead than they are now. Good idea slowhead.

[Jack Bennest]

from wiki

Captain George Vancouver reached Puget Sound in 1792 and became the first European to see Mount Tahoma.

He named it in honor of his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier

[Coolcat]

I'm getting sick and tired of coddling to the First Nations in this province. It not all about them!!

I have to agree here. Its time their leaders started looking after bettering their people rather than worrying about the name of a park.

[mightymouth]

"Why do they call it Stanley Park, by a white man's name, when our ancestors lived here for 10,000 years?"

She makes a strong point although I don't see this going anywhere, any further, anytime soon.
I myself, the whitest white guy of Scots heritage you'll ever meet, prefer to call the local mountain around here by it's traditional name "Tahoma" rather than the more well known and accepted "Mount Ranier"; just sounds cooler to me.
Xwayxway is a bit more of a mouthfull.

With all due respect N.S. she makes no point at all. Who cares if there was 10,000, or 100,000 years of ancestors?
May I remind you of the old saying, "To the victor go the spoils?"
As harsh as it may sound, Whitey invaded, and Whitey defeated, so guess what, we can do whatever we want! And naming a park after another Whitey is one of them.
Guilt money from Indian affairs doesn't seem to be enough. As Sandpant points out, will the re-naming of the city of Vancouver be next? How about the rest of the damn province?
What we need, is a politician (Pave) with balls big enough to tell them all to sit down and shut up!

[slowhand]

May I remind you of the old saying, "To the victor go the spoils?"

May I remind you of the new saying, a product of Political Correctness (PC): "To the victim goes millions or billions of dollars of compensation 50-100 years later when they hire lawyer."? I'm sure there is a shorter version that will eventually make Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.

Naming Rights are a lot cheaper than compensation.

[Howaboutthat]

Naming Rights are a lot cheaper than compensation.

Bull****! Change the name, especially after 100+ years and you lose the 'branding' that's been built up over that time. Canada's natives have had enough compensation. You can only go to the taxpayer trough for a handout so many times (for events that happened more than 100 years ago) before there will be a revolt!
I'm guessing slowhand doesn't live in Vancouver because other than a few 'up for re-election' politicians, I haven't seen many 'average joes' say this is a good idea. Want to give the old name to a certain area of the park, like maybe where the old village was... no problem. And as was suggested before, if that was to happen, the natives must have something there year round (at no further expense to taxpayers) to justify it.
You've got me all worked up now... I'm going for a sail.

[Jack Bennest]

Want to give the old name to a certain area of the park, like maybe where the old village was... no problem. And as was suggested before, if that was to happen, the natives must have something there year round...

Now that sounds like a politician!! - Forget the sailboat get campaigning for NVDistrict.

[slowhand]

you lose the 'branding' that's been built up over that time

I don't know about branding. I'm not an Astral consultant.

I never said I agreed with renaming Stanley Park. I merely was expressing what I think goes on in the mind of politicos in this country. They have to face the rest of the world with a straight face while they complain about how people are being treated in other countries so feel the need to address what are viewed as bad things in Canada's past history.

Isn't Politics fun?