Rhythms of Resilience: Voices of Warrior Women
Rhythms of Resilience is a community gathering that celebrates Indigenous strength, culture and resurgence through art, music, dance, performances and storytelling. Held each year in the lead-up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this event honours survivors and intergenerational survivors of the Indian residential school and Indian hospital systems.
This year, we recognize and uplift the power of Warrior Women: the matriarchs, mothers, daughters, aunties, grandmothers and knowledge keepers who have carried culture, protected communities and led with strength through generations.
Guided by Indigenous leaders connected to the YWCA, Rhythms of Resilience creates space for community to gather in remembrance and celebration.
This event will take place on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We express gratitude to the First Peoples who continue to steward these lands and waters.
Free childminding will be available from 5:30pm to 8:00pm for children ages 3 to 12. Please indicate your childminding needs when registering.
*UPDATE*
Childminding (Ages 3–12) – Waitlist
Our free childminding service is currently full. To join the waitlist, please email us at equity@ywcavan.org with your name and your child(ren)’s name(s) and age(s). We’ll do our best to accommodate as many families as possible and will let you know if a spot becomes available no later than 48 hours before the event. Thank you!
Please direct questions to communications@ywcavan.org.
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PROGRAM SCHEDULE
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Doors open at 4:30pm. Explore Indigenous vendor tables and savour traditional foods (courtesy of the YWCA).
5:30pm – 8:00pm
Cultural performances (ASL and cultural supports available)
Additional Features
- Indigenous-owned vendor tables showcasing traditional and contemporary crafts
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Healing spaces led by Elders, offering cultural support and traditional medicines
PERFORMERS
Spakwus Slolem (Eagle Song Dancers)
Spakwus Slolem (translated,”Eagle Song Dancers"), are members of the Squamish Nation, whose traditional territory extends from Howe Sound through Vancouver to Whistler. The Squamish People have lived in and cared for this land for over 10,000 years. They are Coastal people — people of the cedar longhouses, great sea-going and racing war canoes, and People of the Salmon. Their history includes legends of the Smylaith Tribe (Sasquatch), the Animal Kingdom, and the Wolf Clan, which carry the teachings of their ancestors.
Spakwus Slolem presentations bring out "Chiax", the protocols and laws of Squamish canoe culture, through song, drumming, dance and audience participation. Formed after “The Gaatuwas” a Great Canoe gathering in 1993, the group has since performed locally, across Canada, and internationally in Switzerland, Taiwan, Japan and Washington State.
Steeped in tradition, spirituality, canoes, family history, and ancestral teachings, Spakwus Slolem is honoured to present the songs and dances of yesterday and today, representing their people in the way their Ancestors intended.
Hayley Wallis
Hayley Wallis is a powerful Indigenous voice rising from the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation in Klemtu, BC. Blending soulful R&B with elements of pop and heartfelt storytelling, her music speaks to resilience, identity, and emotional truth. Hayley’s performances are rich with vulnerability and strength, offering audiences an experience that is both deeply personal and universally felt.
Her sound is shaped by the land she comes from, the community that raised her, and the healing power of music. With a voice that commands attention and lyrics that invite reflection, Hayley creates space for connection, celebration, and transformation. Whether on a festival stage or an intimate venue, she brings a magnetic presence and a message rooted in love, power, and belonging.
Tsatsu Stalqayu (Coastal Wolf Pack)
Tsatsu Stalqayu, translated into English as “Coastal Wolf Pack,” is a traditional Salish song and dance group made up of over 25 members of a single family, ranging in age from six months to over 50 years old. This range of ages and experiences allows the group to share a wide variety of songs, dances and stories in their presentations. Members proudly represent Coast Salish communities including Musqueam, Squamish, Tsartlip, Nanaimo, and more. The group’s multigenerational makeup gives audiences a sense of belonging to the hereditary lands of the Coast Salish People.
Founded from their Ta’ah’s dream to show the world who they are as Coast Salish People, Tsatsu Stalqayu moves with one heart and one mind, much like the wolf packs for which they are named. From the eldest to the youngest, members support one another in practicing cultural traditions, standing strong in the face of adversity, and passing songs, dances, and stories to future generations. With pride and respect, they share the beauty of Coast Salish culture so that all nations may experience it.
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