MST Cultural Whorl

The spindle whorl is a tool historically used by Coast Salish people to spin wool from animals such as Salish woolly dogs and mountain goats. The use of the whorl allows a tight knit weave and intricate detailed pattern designs.

In the same way, the MST Cultural Whorl takes input we have heard from our people and weaves it into a pattern of interconnected cultural design inspirations, cultural site planning elements and cultural design principles that will blanket ʔəya҆lməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/ Jericho Lands with MST culture.

Knowledge, stories and input shared by MST Nations’ Community Members since 2018 have informed the MST Cultural Whorl.  

In the centre, there are three Cultural Design Inspirations that provide the foundation for planning the new community. In the middle layer, seven Cultural Site Planning Elements expand on the Inspirations. Finally, the outer layer describes 14 Cultural Design Principles which speak to how MST culture will be imprinted in the planning and design of the future neighbourhood at ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands.  

Like the wool spun with a spindle whorl, many of these Inspirations, Planning Elements and Design Principles are interconnected and overlap.  

The MST Cultural Whorl is foundational to the features of the revised site concept for ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands.