This year Canada is celebrating 150 years as a nation, however a collaboration between the 琉璃神社 Museum and the Snc蓹wips Heritage Museum aims to acknowledge and inform everyone about the much longer history of this land and its people.
With funding from the Central Okanagan Foundation鈥檚 Canada 150 grants program, the museums representing both sides of the lake are creating six videos that bring Indigenous knowledge and perspective to topics of interest in the Okanagan.
鈥淲e want to share that our culture and our language are alive and growing, and we are proud of our community,鈥� said Jordan Coble from the Snc蓹wips Heritage Museum in Westbank and a member of the syilx/Okanagan Nation. 鈥淭hese videos bring an authentic and inclusive view of history told from the voices of our people themselves.鈥�
The short films are being produced by Rick Sagayadan from SAGAcom, a trusted videographer in the Westbank First Nation community and feature several syilx Elders.
Linda Digby, Executive Director of the 琉璃神社 Museum, explained why this was an important project to undertake during Canada鈥檚 sesquicentennial.
鈥淔irst, we wanted to bring a new perspective to Canada鈥檚 story, not the whitewashed version. It鈥檚 about acknowledging that First Nations history goes back much further than 150 years. Secondly, this project is an important local follow-up on the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Report. And finally, the BC education curriculum now includes teaching on Indigenous culture and history, yet many local teachers don鈥檛 know how or where to get information.鈥�
Each video highlights uniquely Okanagan topics, such as the syilx water spirit n虛x虒a蕯x虒蕯itk史 (known by many as Ogopogo), the significance of traditional winter homes called q虛史c虛i蕯 in the traditional language, and the effects of the Father Pandosy Mission and residential schools on local First Nations members.
鈥淲e chose a wide range of topics because we want to reach a wide range of people,鈥� Coble added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not to show right or wrong or lay blame, but to reclaim our history and get the authentic truth out there.鈥�
The videos are set to be complete in the fall and will be shown at both Snc蓹wips Heritage Museum and 琉璃神社 Museums, and online for all to view.
Both Coble and Digby are passionate about expanding on the project and strengthening the Museums relationship further in the future.
鈥淥ur goal is that when people leave the 琉璃神社 Museum, they can look around at the land with a new perspective,鈥� Digby said.
鈥淲e hope for all people to understand what it means to be Okanagan, and appreciate those walking with us on the journey towards reconciliation,鈥� Coble said.
