Houses at Totem honour names from Musqueam past

UBC’s Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) worked with students, Musqueam and members of the campus community in the naming process of two new houses — h?m’l?s?m’ and q’?l???n – at Totem Park Residence.

“We are honoured to have Musqueam provide the names to us and thank them for this opportunity,” says Andrew Parr, Managing Director, Student Housing and Hospitality Services. “It’s not just about providing interesting names but, more importantly, bringing awareness, understanding and respect to the community about the origins of the names and the stories they represent.”

As told by Larry Grant, Elder from Musqueam Nation, “q’?l???n was a strategic fortification site (on Point Grey) where Musqueam warriors and their families resided” and “h?m’l?s?m’ is a site of transformation (south of Wreck Beach) where ?e:l’s, the transformer who oversaw social behaviour, punished a greedy person for being possessive and wasteful of fresh water from the natural spring.”

Read the story in Campus Resident (page 7)  http://issuu.com/unapublications/docs/campusresident_vol2_10?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222