Vancouver’s Begbie elementary school renamed wək̓ʷan̓əs tə syaqʷəm

Sir Matthew Begbie Elementary School in Vancouver has been renamed wək̓ʷan̓əs tə syaqʷəm. The hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ name was gifted by the Musqueam Indian Band. The new name means “the sun rising over the horizon” and was selected in recognition of the Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood, where the school is located.

“hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ is the language our ancestors spoke for thousands of years, which was systematically taken from us to the point that there are no longer any fluent hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speakers in Musqueam,” said Chief yəχʷyaχʷələq (Wayne Sparrow).

“Being asked to share our language with partners, and provide hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ names to replace names associated with colonization, is an important step toward rights recognition, reconciliation and hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ revitalization. Musqueam looks forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with VSB and schools throughout our territory.”

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Vancouver School Board superintendent Helen McGregor says asking the Musqueam to gift a school name is one of the ways the district can show its commitment to reconciliation.

The school was formerly named after Sir Matthew Begbie, the first Chief Justice of the Crown Colony of British Columbia. He was later known as the “hanging judge” after he passed the order to execute five Tsilhqot’in Chiefs in a murder trial. The B.C. government formally apologized to the Tsilhqot’ people in 2014 and in 2018 the Chiefs were exonerated.

The VSB co-hosted the ceremony with the Musqueam Indian Band to celebrate the new name and the completion of the first earthquake resistant school in B.C. built with Canadian mass timber.