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On May 4, the BC Historical Federation presented its annual recognition awards in Chilliwack at the 2024 BCHF conference. The BCHF is proud to present the award winners across a number of categories.
Award of Appreciation
Emma Quan and Mark Forsythe were honoured for their time serving on the board of directors of the BC Historical Federation, each with an award of appreciation. Emma was instrumental in managing the organization's Instagram account and contributing to decisions of the board at regular meetings and Mark served as vice-president and spent many hours interviewing local historians and organizations, sharing history through video and in British Columbia History magazine. Mark continues to work with British Columbia History magazine as a columnist.
Award of Merit
Awards of Merit are awarded to individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the study or promotion of British Columbia history.
Earning an Award of Merit at this year's gala is the BC Black History Awareness Society for its 30 years of work creating awareness of Black history in B.C., celebrating historical and contemporary achievements and contributions. Recent projects undertaken by the Society include the development of the Hope Meets Action travelling exhibition in partnership with the Royal BC Museum, and the BC Archives Black History Records Research Guide in partnership with the BC Archives. Jamila Douhaibi accepted the award on behalf of the Society.
Also earning an Award of Merit is Dr. Lorne Hammond who was recognized for his work as curator in the history division at the Royal British Columbia Museum, spanning more than 25 years.
A fountain of knowledge and integral to the development of many popular exhibitions at the RBCM, Dr. Hammond’s expertise actively informed exhibitions including Festa Italian: Celebrating BC’s Italian Communities, Gold Rush: El Dorado in British Columbia, Century Hall and recently, Orcas: Our Shared Future. Lorne has written and lectured extensively on the energy and resource sectors in British Columbia and has been a staunch advocate and guide for younger generations of museum workers.
Award of Recognition
Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.
At the awards gala, the Maple Ridge Museum and Archives was recognized with an Award of Recognition for its exhibition: "What was Taken: The Forced Dispersal of Japanese Canadians in Maple Ridge." The exhibition, which explores the impact of internment on both Maple Ridge’s Japanese Canadian community and Maple Ridge itself, has provided a springboard and meaningful experiences for Japanese Canadian visitors to learn about their family histories. Many of these histories were not discussed by relatives who were interned. The exhibition has since been converted to a permanent exhibition.
Bright Light Awards
Each year, the BCHF awards organizations and individuals with three themed awards marking achievements in the access, preservation, and interpretation of BC history.
The Cultural Resources Accessibility Award, honouring those working to connect cultural heritage resources with people, was awarded to Catherine Clement, curator, and June Chow, archivist, of “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.” As a result of their work and advocacy, Library and Archives Canada opened up access to Chinese Immigration (C.I.) records, and their work led to the creation of a community archive of the C.I. certificates at the University of British Columbia.
The Storytelling Award, recognizing storytelling in non-print formats, was awarded to filmmakers Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok for the documentary film “Unarchived”. The film, published by the National Film Board of Canada and made publicly available, examines the gaps in British Columbia’s documented histories and highlights the work of community archivists and historians who are fighting to create inclusive spaces and narratives for all.
Awards Chair Anna Irwin poses with Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok, winners of the BCHF Storytelling Award.
The BC Historical Federation conference was a one-day event that featured the Federation’s Annual General Meeting, a keynote presentation, and a guided bus tour of S'ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō homelands).
The keynote presentation centered on masking and unmasking Stó:lō placenames, delivered by Dr. Keith Carlson, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous and Community-Engaged History at the University of the Fraser Valley and Director of the Peace and Reconciliation Centre, and Dr. Si:yémiya Albert “Sonny” McHalsie, Cultural Advisor / Sxweyxwiyam (Historian) at the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, andinstructor at the University of the Fraser Valley.
The presentation explained how place-naming was an integral component of the settler colonial process, and suggested ways in how we can take action to move towards decolonizing, re-Indigenizing, and re-naming places that are known to have original Indigenous names.
Si:yémiya provided examples of place names that guided Indigenous communities while travelling that reflected their knowledge of sites with bountiful food resources; that commemorated historical events and occurrences; and that documented stories of origin and transformation.
Carlson spoke to the process by which colonialists asserted a degree of control by naming spaces and associating new memories that reflected settler heritages. He suggests empowering Indigenous communities to create policies and processes that lead to re-naming on Indigenous terms.
The messages presented in the keynote presentation were subsequently seeded deeper into the minds of conference participants who joined a three-hour cultural bus tour of Stó:lō homelands where they saw and learned of original Indigenous place names and sxwōxwiyám (ancient stories) and sqwélqwel (personal and family histories) that give shape to Stó:lō culture, history and people.
Dr. Si:yémiya Albert “Sonny” McHalsie speaks to participants of the 2024 BCHF conference near Yale.
The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) has awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing to Jennifer Bonnell, author of Stewards of Splendour: A History of Wildlife and People in British Columbia published by the Royal British Columbia Museum in 2023. The award was presented on May 4 at the BCHF’s award gala dinner in Chilliwack, on the unceded traditional territory of the Stó:lō people.
The book explores the history of wildlife conservation in British Columbia, from pre-contact Indigenous stewardship to the present. It examines the ways that scientists, Indigenous leaders, hunter-conservationists and naturalists contributed to and contested wildlife management practices in the province.
Historian and academic Jennifer Bonnell of Toronto was on hand to receive the award that includes a $2,500 prize -- the largest for historical writing in BC. Second prize of $1,500 went to Katherine Palmer Gordon for This Place is Who We Are (Harbour Publishing) and third prize of $500 to Jonathan Swainger for The Notorious Georges (UBC Press).
Three books received honourable mentions: Wayne McCrory, The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin (Harbour Publishing), Barry Gough's The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard (Harbour Publishing) and Sam George with Jill Yonit Goldberg for The Fire Still Burns (UBC Press, Purich Books).
The Community History prize was awarded to Ellen Schwartz for Galena Bay Odyssey (Heritage House).
Jennifer Bonnell, winner of the 2023 BCHF Historical Writing Award.
The BC Historical Federation is getting ready to welcome members to Chilliwack for its Annual General Meeting, gathering and awards gala on May 4.
Attendees can now download the 2024 Annual Report and AGM package.
Please refer to our conference webpage to for venue address and other information.
Schedule:
AGM 9-10am (doors open at 8:30am) Gathering Place, University of the Fraser Valley Chilliwack Campus. 45190 Caen Avenue, Chilliwack, V2R 0N3.
Keynote Presentation 10-11am Gathering Place, University of the Fraser Valley Chilliwack Campus. 45190 Caen Avenue, Chilliwack, V2R 0N3.
Guided Bus Tour 12:30 pm-4:30 pm (please come early) Leaves from the Stó:lō Resource and Research Management Centre. Building #10 – 7201 Vedder Road, Chilliwack, BC, Canada, V2R 4G5. Awards Dinner 7-9pm (doors open at 6:30pm) Coast Hotel, Chilliwack. 45920 First Ave, Chilliwack, BC V2P 7K1. Cash bar and silent auction.
The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2023 Historical Writing Awards. The awards will be announced during the awards gala taking place this year in Chilliwack on May 4 at 7pm.
In alphabetical order by author, the list is as follows:
Jennifer Bonnell, Stewards of Splendour: A History of Wildlife and People in British Columbia. Royal British Columbia Museum.
Sam George, with Jill Yonit Goldberg, Liam Belson, Dylan MacPhee, and Tanis Wilson, The Fire Still Burns. UBC Press, Purich Books.
Barry Gough, The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard. Harbour Publishing.
Wayne McCrory, The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin. Harbour Publishing.
Katherine Palmer Gordon, This Place is Who We Are. Harbour Publishing.
Ellen Schwartz, Galena Bay Odyssey. Heritage House.
Jonathan Swainger, The Notorious Georges. UBC Press.
The BC Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing will be awarded together with $2,500 to the author whose book makes the most significant contribution to the historical literature of British Columbia. The second-place winner will receive $1,500 and third place, $500. One book will also be awarded the Community History Award, worth $500. Certificates of Honourable Mention may be awarded to other books as recommended by the judges.
The 2023 competition received 25 publications, all of which add to the compendium of historical writing in British Columbia.
The Nelson opera house stood from 1898 until it burned in a spectacular fire in 1935. (Greg Nesteroff collection)
Nelson Museum archives assistant Tressa Ford looks at the history of theatre in that city. She writes: "In spite of instabilities of venue, funding and societal change, there has always been a stubborn dedication to theatre in Nelson."
Read more at the Nelson Star.
A lovely afternoon of storytelling at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre with Simon Chang who shared his inspiring journey from Vancouver's Chinatown to becoming one of Canada's most commercially successful designers.
In this presentation to the Vancouver Historical Society, historians Megan Davies and Tamara Myers tell the tale of Othoa Scott, a Hornby Island girl crippled by a back injury a century ago, using her life story to describe the development of a hospital for injured children in Vancouver, and the solariums in BC where they lived as they were treated and rehabilitated.
A group called the Museum Liberation Force is pushing for the creation of a museum dedicated to the South Asian community in BC. They say the project has progressed too slowly and its consultation process hasn't been effective.
Read more from the CBC.
The Friends of the BC Archives say they welcome the naming of the Royal BC Museum's Provincial Archives, Research and Collections Campus (PARC), scheduled to open in 2026.
"The decision by the Royal BC Museum and BC Archives to emphasize the Provincial Archives in the name underscores the importance of the archival collections housed in this new, state-of-the-art facility," they said in a prepared statement.
"Archives are essential sources of information and evidence that help societies understand the past and inform the future. Access to archival materials is essential for researchers, educators, writers, communities, and the winder public."
President Lara Wilson said they are happy to see the naming announcement and look forward to sharing information with their members and the public as the development of the facility proceeds.
"The Friends of BC Archives encourages the public's involvement in the government's engagement sessions about the new facility and associated services, and we encourage everyone to share their thoughts with BC Archives," she said.
Since the announcement of the new storage and research facility in 2020, Friends of the BC Archives have advocated for increased information sharing and engagement about the project with their members, many of whom are researchers accessing BC Archives' collections. The Friends are actively participating in the BC Archives information and engagement sessions about the new facility and future services.
"As a strong supporter of the work of the BC Archives, the Friends will continue to advocate for the secure preservation of equitable access to and appropriate resourcing for the care of our province's documentary heritage," they wrote.
British Columbia Historical FederationPO Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, Canada, V1M 2R7Information: info@bchistory.ca
The Secretariat of the BCHF is located on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish speaking Peoples.
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