Vancouver’s centennial celebrations had a mascot: Tillicum the sea otter. (Interestingly, only river otters are native to the Vancouver area, but sea otters are a big part of BC coastal history.)

The Vancouver Archives has a ton of hilarious photos of Tillicum. Here are a few of my favourites:

The name Tillicum means “friend” or “people” in the Chinook Jargon, a pidgin language used to mediate trade between white settlers and First Nations. Chinook words were then considered the safe choice for naming things without a specific First Nation gifting a name; at the time, reconciliation had not yet begun.