On June 7, five new UBC Vancouver student residence buildings were formally opened at a special naming ceremony hosted by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band).
The buildings, initially called UBC Pacific Residence, were collectively gifted the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ name tə šxʷhəleləm̓s tə k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ (The Houses of the Ones Belonging to the Saltwater) by Musqueam in the spring of 2021.
Since then, each of the five buildings received its own name:
- təməs leləm̓ - Sea Otter House, opened to residents Apr. 2022
- sqimək̓ʷ leləm̓ - Octopus House, opened to residents Apr. 2022
- sɬewət̕ leləm̓ - Herring House, opened to residents Jan. 2022
- q̓əlɬaləməcən leləm̓ - Orca House, opened to residents Sept. 2021
- qʷta:yθən leləm̓ - Sturgeon House, opened to residents Sept. 2021
To learn how to pronounce the names, please visit UBC’s student residence webpage.
“UBC’s 2020 Indigenous Strategic Plan pledges to enrich our campus spaces with a stronger Indigenous presence, and we commit to being good stewards of the names that have been entrusted to us,” said UBC president and vice-chancellor Santa Ono.
Read the full release here.