Intercultural Dialogue

The original spirit of the dragon boat festival is one of generosity, reciprocity, and of sharing. Dragon boat migrated to Vancouver in the minds and hearts of Chinese immigrants and settlers, and has become a part of the local community. However, it has become a way to bridge divides and bring in people from diverse communities. We aim to respect, honour, and welcome voices from our community, and come together to discover how divergence from an initial point of understanding can strengthen our cultural fabric.

Traditional, Ancestral, and Unceded

The Society’s work primarily takes place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands and waters of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh. We are grateful to these communities for hosting us on their territories.

Custom has developed in our local community to acknowledge the host nations on whose territories an event is held; we are pleased to be able to share this tradition with our visitors, and encourage them to learn about the land and water’s stories and traditions through programs offered by Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and other Indigenous organizations at our events or in the community.

Words without corresponding action can be performative; the Society is committed to working actively with local Indigenous communities to engage them in our programming, either as artists or cultural carriers, providing support through accessible recreation opportunities, financially supporting local Indigenous initiatives, or finding unique partnership opportunities. In addition, we share our platforms with the host Indigenous community when we run events, so that proper protocol can be followed and asserted.

This includes:

• Working with Indigenous host communities to ensure proper protocol is conducted at our signature cultural festivals like the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival and Steveston Dragon Boat Festival.
• In collaboration with local Indigenous artists, creating artwork for our fleet of dragon boats purchased in 2022 for elite-level racing to honour the traditional and continued presence of Indigenous communities on the waters that we are privileged to use for racing.
• Setting aside space and programming opportunities to support Indigenous artists, businesses, community groups, and service organizations at our signature cultural festivals, through our pilot Indigenous Cultural Pavilions.
• Creating opportunities in partnership with local Indigenous service organizations for Indigenous paddlers to participate in our races and programs.
• Integrating Indigenous knowledge-keepers and cultural representatives into specific programming to help educate paddlers and the public alike on the continued importance and presence of Indigenous communities on the terrestrial and aquatic territories that we are situated on.

The history of Indigenous and Chinese community sharing and integration runs through centuries; we hope to honour, continue, and contribute to this history in years to come. We invite our community to support Indigenous communities in this ongoing process of resurgence and resilience.

Chinatown

The Festival’s roots in Chinatown began before the Society was founded. In recent years, the Society has recommitted to rebuilding and reconnecting these roots with a range of organizations in the community. From traditional organizations like clan societies and Chinatown’s legendary lion and dragon dance organizations; to cultural organizations like the Chinese Cultural Centre, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens, and the newly formed Chinese Canadian Museum; to youth groups like Hua Foundation and Youth Collaborative for Chinatown; the area’s stories and intangible cultural heritage are integral to the paddling community and our community at large.

Chinatown represents a unique perspective and history; we are honoured and delighted to be able to help bring these stories to the fore, and connect Chinatown to the water through a range of programs, like: artistic showcases, panel discussions, exhibitions and displays, strategic partnerships, accessible and equitable recreation opportunities, and community programs.

This includes:

• Partnering with a range of local Chinese organizations, artists, and small businesses to directly support their community work in Chinatown, around Vancouver, and at our events.
• Creating spaces to uphold Chinese artists, whether on our stages with a range of modern or traditional musicians, or visually as multiple Chinese artists created artwork for our new racing fleet of boats purchased in 2022.
• Moving our administrative and planning headquarters back to our traditional home in Chinatown, directly bringing us in daily conversation with the community, and in advance of a program to further support Chinatown revitalization through the renovation of a historic heritage building into a first-of-its-kind 15,000+ sq. ft. cultural sporting hub.
• Sharing elements of Chinese culture with the wider community in collaboration with our Chinatown partners.
• Inviting Chinese elders, community members, and Chinatown/DTES residents in partnership with Chinatown community service organizations to participate directly in our paddling programs, helping link them back to the water in a culturally appropriate and accessible method.

Building links across our community

The Lower Mainland of Vancouver where the Society is based is home to communities with links across the world. As we return to our founding mission and build off of our locally-focused international inspirations, we welcome our community to be part of our dragon boat community. Much like how dragon boat was leveraged as a way of bringing together villages in ancient China to showcase their stories and cultures, we aim to rebuild the sense of community and unity through our modern events and Festivals.

This includes:

• Inviting POC communities that call the region home to participate in our signature cultural festivals, with an internal goal of having 90%+ of our programming partners include individuals from BIPOC, LGBTQ2+, or female backgrounds, including with our visual art programs.
• Building intercultural partnerships to invite POC communities to be part of our programs and festivals, helping fully reflect our shared diversity back to our racers and visitors.