Spoken Treasures: Stanley Park Indigenous Walking Tour

The Spoken Treasures of Stanley Park Indigenous Walking Tour was amazing! Ruby our guide, brought honesty and respect to the history. I am grateful to have learned so much. Their way of life, customs, language, and how practical and smart they were was all shown in such a way that you felt as if you were brought back thousands of years. We learned about the great women stepping up to help while the horrible Vancouver fire was taking place, and so many more stories. This tour was really eye-opening and thought-provoking. I would recommend it to anyone! Definitely was worth taking. Great job and well done Ruby and Talaysay Tours!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience iwth Talaysay Tours. We participated in Spoken Treasures and Talking Totems. Both were meaningful, rich experiences with thoughtful guides. Spending time in this way was a higlight of the trip. Highly recommend!!

This is a must if visiting VC. You get a fantastic experience with a guide who is so knowledgeable, warm, funny, easy going and most importantly educational. A lovely experience that many don’t realise is there, such a service, thank you for sharing 🙏

This was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about First Nations history and culture. Our Guides shared their knowledge thoughtfully and it provided a unique perspective to a walk through Stanley Park. Highly recommend this experience to develop a fuller understanding of the history of Vancouver from traditional owners of this country. Thank you for welcoming me to your land and sharing your stories.

A brilliant tour to do to hear the stories of the First Nations people, to get familiar with customs and indigenous knowledge. Highly recommend this tour!

Wonderful experience that is both highly educational and informative but also intentional. Easily walkable with breaks to stand and sit. Jayden was an excellent guide. We enjoyed learning about the rich cultural history of the First Nations communities.

The Spoken Treasures of Stanley Park tour is a thoughtful and engaging walk through one of the world's great urban parks. Covering about a kilometre and a half in 75 minutes, it moves at a relaxed pace while traversing significant historical and cultural ground. Our group of four was guided by Ruby, Amira, and Jaden, who brought the stories of Stanley Park to life: the richness of the Pacific temperate rainforest, how the ocean shaped the lives and cultures of the peoples of this place, and the deep, continuous history of those who have called this land home for thousands of years. The highlight for our group was Jaden's moving account of the Indigenous women who helped save settlers' lives during the Great Fire of 1886, which levelled Vancouver in a matter of hours. It took the City of Vancouver more than 130 years to formally acknowledge that contribution, a fact that lands hard and should. This is an excellent tour for visitors who want more than scenery, and for locals ready to engage honestly with the history beneath their feet. If you're curious about Indigenous traditions, ecological knowledge, and the layered story of this place, Spoken Treasures delivers.

Our walk with Talaysay was the best part of our stay in Vancouver. She was an incredibly effective and personable guide. I enjoyed learning about the connections between her family, the land, and the villages located in what is now called Stanley Park. She shared stories about her mother, aunt, grandmother, and community that made those connections vivid - the western hemlock's pinecones, tea, lacrosse, bathing in the Salish Sea, language, ceremony, cedar boughs, and more. I will remember a lot from this experience. Thank you for sharing the afternoon with us!

Shae was an incredible guide. Really helped us understand the first nation history, culture, and challenges set in the back drop of Stanley Park.

We really enjoyed speaking with our tour guide. She was knowledgeable and very engaging. We have some experience of indigenous people’s history in New Zealand and curate/ take pilgrimages to help people engage with indigenous history in Aotearoa . See pilgrimagesaotearoa.nz This spoken story journey was very interesting.

We had the privilege of meeting Ruby & touring Stanley Park together where she shared her incredible knowledge of the peoples and the land. Learning about all the plants and their powers felt a bit like making friends very far from our home country. It was a beautiful & enriching experience which will be remembered by us very fondly.

Wow, what a wonderful tour! Seraphine was a wealth of knowledge and so generous in her sharing and teaching. I learned far more about the ecology and history of Stanley Park than I ever would have on my own. I was so glad to have found a tour with an Indigenous focus because I wanted a tour informed by history, culture, and current issues. I got exactly that and so much more! Because this tour ends at the totem poles, I would recommend planning for an additional 20-30 minutes minimum after the tour to check out the totem poles and surrounding area. (I was rushing to leave but I wish I had allowed myself more time afterwards). I left Stanley Park wishing I could spend all day learning from the environment. So appreciative for the incredible tour. Well worth it!!

We took the Spoken Treasures tours, lead by Seraphine and assisted by Hannah, and we couldn’t have had a better experience. It was just me and my partner on the tour that day, but that didn’t phase Seraphine at all. She gave an incredibly compelling and rich retelling of the indigenous history of Stanley Park and Vancouver more generally. She taught us about the various indigenous groups that lived in the park, and how they benefited from the bountiful sources of food and building materials. She explained that the people who lived there were wealthy and developed such that they hosted huge gatherings and feasts with other indigenous people from other areas. She also covered the colonialist history of the development of Vancouver, including the ruinous effect of the introduction of Old World diseases to the indigenous people, and the theft of the land where they laid their dead to rest, under the Indian Act. She explained all of this and so much more in an engaging and approachable way, and was able to answer our questions without losing her train of thought. The whole experience was fantastic! Whether you live in the area or are visiting, you owe it to yourself to take this tour - I guarantee that it will give you insight and perhaps an entirely different perspective of the park, the city, and the whole country.

As we were the only couple on the tour we were treated to a personal walk through Stanley Park. Our guide Seraphine was very pleasant and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed talking to her and hearing her stories and history of her people from the Vancouver area. Easy tour walking on flat ground and suitable for all.

On October 11th my group of Philadelphia Flyers fans had the pleasure of taking this tour it was Amazing ! Slow easy pace all ages can be a part of this tour.

We enjoyed a fascinating tour in Stanley park as Shay gave a wonderful introduction to the lives, cultures and histories of the communities who once lived on that land. She has so much knowledge and her personal passion is infectious. We all learned so much, and she kept two teens hooked for an hour. Thanks so much to both Shay and Victor for their time and for sharing their own stories. An experience we won’t forget!

It’s always important to acknowledge the First Nations people wherever we go and we did an amazing tour with Sera Lewis Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Guide. She showed us another perspective on Stanley Park and outlined the horrific treatment of her ancestors who had lived there long before the colonisers arrived. She painted a picture of a nomadic people who spent summers in the mountains and winters in the park before the damaging sea wall was built. Vancouver would still be a thriving city today but a more stable and less expensive and privileged place if it had grown alongside Squamish and other tribes instead of attempting to destroy their heritage.

I had questions of why people put masks when they were doing ceremonies, and who were the people's face figures on the Totem poles. Are these faces Gods of Sun, moon, river, or faces of ancestors？ We went to the tour with tour guide Patrick. He gave the explanation for these questions. The faces on the Totem Poles were the ancestors. The lowest on the pole was the eldest. Next generations were on the elder's shoulders. We are Manchu, from northern China. We had Totem poles in our culture too. The faces on the poles were ancestors' faces. If Indigenous were migrated from Easten Asia, three times large migrations around 20 thousand years ago, since we share the same culture, this might be a prove of origin of Indigenous. Nice guide, nice tour.

Beautiful scenery! We had a walk with Patrick, he was very nice and knowledgeable of the surrounding area. He is also very knowledgeable of the various tribes of Vancouver and their history/culture. Loved the vibe and energy of the walk, would easily do it again. Also our guide Patrick was very eager to answer any questions and was just one of the nicest people I’ve met so far!

Amazing experience! Patrick gave us a rich history and ensured we understood what each community went through and what the art means to each community.

Our guide was highly informative and clearly passionate about this topic. It was so nice of him to bring a thermos of tea, which we sipped as we all sat around after the tour to discuss various issues. I encourage all non-indigenous visitors to consider this tour, in which you learn things you definitely do not hear about elsewhere, and which we all need to know. Suggestions for the guide: speak more loudly or perhaps carry a small voice amplifier, and always face your audience when you are speaking.

We booked the Spoken Treasures - Stanley Park and Patrick was phenomenal! His presentation about the indigenous wisdom regarding the importance of the intersection between the ocean and the forest which is now blocked by the sea wall was incredibly thoughtful and an excellent explanation. He patiently responded to our questions. Sharing tea with us at the end of the tour made this time all the more special. I learned a lot and would highly recommend this!

The tour was great! Our guide Candace was so knowledgeable and engaging. The entire group enjoyed the tour and appreciated learning more about the importance of the land, particularly in Indigenous cultures.

65 of our G6s joined for two Talaysay Tours (Spoken Treasures & Talking Trees) on March 29th, 2023. Candace and Jane were exceptional with communication and organization in booking the tours and putting together an itinerary for us. On the day of, Candace took the time to meet our group, welcome us and sang a song for the group. Sera, Shae, and Richard were our tour guides. They were engaging and shared a wealth of knowledge with our students. They did an excellent job and it was a great experience for the students - they learned a lot! I would highly recommend Talaysay tours and we are looking forward to booking more tours for our students in the future.

Amazing experience! Loved hearing Wes' songs & tales which he shared generously. Highly recommend this tour to anyone curious about the Indigenous history of the city and surrounding area.

We really enjoyed this tour of Stanley Park with Alfonso, a member of the shíshálh Nation. Alfonso welcomed us with a song and taught us a traditional greeting. We wandered along the seawall with him as he helped us see the park, the bay, and Vancouver as they would have been experienced by the original inhabitants. He was extremely knowledgeable about indigenous culture and practices. We learned so much and parted reluctantly, eager to seek out more information about Alfonso's nation and the other first nations of Canada. A delightful experience and highly recommended.

Stanley Park Ecology Society staff attended Spoken Treasures by Talaysay Tours, a virtual tour through Stanley Park led by Indigenous Culture Ambassadors, Alroy and Candace. They’ve put together a wonderfully rich and heartfelt experience, recently making the transition to online programming. Candace and Alroy shared stories and oral accounts of the history of this land and the deep connection to the plants and animals that make up the local ecosystem. We would highly recommend attending their programs, whether online or in-person, and for both organizations and individuals. We're looking forward to working with Talaysay Tours in the future!

My extended family and I were fortunate enough to have a tour with Candace and Alfonso in Stanley park. There were 7 of us ranging in ages from 9-75. Candace and Alfonso were knowledgable, humorous and engaging. They transformed our collective perspective on the places now known as Stanley Park and Vancouver through storytelling, song, and sharing historical and scientific traditional knowledge. They were accessible, hospitable and inclusive. The children were engaged and the pace was gently modified to allow for full participation by our mobility challenged grandma. We all agreed that we would love to do it again next year!

We had an incredible experience with this tour. It was a small group, just the 4 of us, plus the guide. Social distancing and masks. We were welcomed with a beautiful song. Our guide Alfonso was very friendly and knowledgeable. He added personal stories to the indigenous history and culture he told us about. All of us loved the experience (ages: 18, 20, 49 and 50). The communication with the company ahead of the tour was fast and clear. We will take other tours with them in the future.

Excellent. The Guide was wonderful. A past educator. Answered all of our questions and gave us loads of information. Worthwhile tour to take. And, at the end of the tour, our guide served us a cup of hot tea.

Although I”d been a casual visitor to Stanley Park, it was by taking the Indigenous Tour that I gained a heightened awareness and appreciation of its historical and cultural significance. Our guide (Alfonso) used the 1.5 hour of the tour very effectively to highlight and share key insights about the culture of the First Nation peoples who populated the area, both from historic and contemporary perspectives. His engaging and open manner encouraged easy interaction and discussions that made for a unique—and highly recommended—experience.

I participated in this tour and it was amazing! Candace and Tyler are wonderful guides, giving inside information about their indigenous culture in a fun and intelligent way! It is a tour where walking and talking is well balanced, and I learned incredibly much about the indigenous way of life. Candace and Tyler are explaining well, taking and answering questions and are very nice and fun people. I highly recommend this tour!

It was again, a pleasure joining the Spoken Treasures tour for my second time introducing visiting guests to Vancouver. With years of appreciation for our First Nations people and now living in Vancouver I embrace the historical traditions of all peoples. With that, embracing the cultural importance of the past and into our future. Our guide Alfonso shared the treasures of this by capturing the images of times past. He has evolved in his teachings and represents well the importance of sustainability in times ahead. I look forward to arranging other tours you provide with friends and family.

It was raining like hell. We were able to learn how to utilize trees as an indigenous people, the history of the land, the image of the old scenery of the maple tree, the meaning of the totem pole, and so on. They also answered our questions attentively.