Blog & News

The Caetani Centre is heading straight into Culture Days by hosting several free and by-donation events that celebrate the creativity and innovation of artists, makers, and creators in the Okanagan.

”We’re pleased to be able to offer such a diversity of events showcasing different artistic and cultural mediums: a multi-media exhibition, an Okanagan-produced documentary, and the launch of a new book of powerful poetry,” says Laisha Rosnau, Caetani Centre Executive Director.  

“We invite he community to join us for one or all of these events. Sveva Caetani was a champion of the role of arts and culture in the life of a community, and we believe she’d be happy her former home is now host to such a variety of cultural experiences.”

Starting Sept. 27, the Centre will once again waive the fee for self-guided tours and offer them by donation inside the historic home of Italian duke Leone Caetani, his partner Ofelia Fabiani and their daughter, the renowned artist Sveva Caetani. 

Visitors can learn the fascinating story of the Caetanis and see select displays of treasured family artifacts in the 130-year-old heritage home. Self-guided tours will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 27 to Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

While at the Centre, visitors can also check out the new exhibition, Reflections on Belonging, an immersive exhibition in the Caetani Gallery, presented in collaboration with the Vernon and District Immigrant and Community Services Society (VDICSS). 

Supported by the Government of Canada's Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program, the exhibition invites visitors to explore themes of identity, community, and belonging through dynamic storytelling, immersive art installations, and interactive experiences. Also on display is a selection of Sveva Caetani’s works from her renowned Recapitulation Series.

Reflections on Belonging is open to the general public Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information about Sveva Caetani and the Caetani Centre, please visit www.caetani.org

Times They Are A’Changing is the theme of a new exhibit at the Mill Bay-Malahat Heritage Museum near Victoria.

Thanks to the local historical society, visitors can learn who invented the egg carton, the radio and how many gadgets have been replaced by the cellphone (dozens). The season runs from March to September or by appointment.

The museum, free (donations welcome) and open Sunday afternoons, comes with a docent or guide who kindly walks visitors through many historical moments, including the nearby Bamberton cement works, a one-room school (the Beatrix Potter books) and a telephone switchboard.

To tax your history knowledge the museum posts a large red question mark at intervals. You are invited to guess what artifact is under them. One is a leather glove finger stretcher. A flint-fired hand warmer may puzzle many. Those who like memory quizzes will enjoy the wall of old LPs or the one about old TV shows. Can you remember your favourites?

The museum is at the back of the church at 2851 Church Way on the Malahat Highway outside the town. Website: heritagemuseummillbay.com. Phone: 250-733-0955. A nearby market offers fresh produce and delicious ice cream.

An excerpt from the Fall 2024 issue of British Columbia History.

Many locations in Victoria, such as Fort Rodd Hill and the BC Legislature, shown here around 1910, have been suggested as Tartarian architecture. (City of Victoria Archives Item M09575)

By Stephanie Halmhofer

“Maybe the History we’ve been told is a lie!” [1] “Their true history was covered up!” [2] “Hidden History!” [3] Beyond being in the short introductory paragraph I read on the r/Tartaria subreddit page, these are phrases I hear nearly every day as an archaeologist who studies pseudoarchaeology, or archaeological conspiracy theories.

History has long been a popular subject for conspiracism—its popularity can impact how people engage with history—especially in online spaces where the line between fact and fiction can become blurred. At first glance the idea of a technologically advanced Tartarian empire whose history has been hidden from us seems like a harmless conspiracy theory, but the blurring of the line can also open the gate to some very dangerous paths.

The terms misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theory are at times used interchangeably, but there are differences between them. Misinformation refers to false information that is shared whether or not there is intention to mislead. [4] Disinformation refers to false information that is shared with the intention to mislead. [5] And conspiracy theories are beliefs that an “organization made up of individuals or groups was or is acting covertly to achieve some malevolent end.” [6] Conspiracy theories rely on three principles: nothing happens by accident, nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected. [7]

Although conspiracy theories seem to be a relatively recent phenomenon, conspiracism has been part of North American culture since at least the 1890s [8] if not earlier. [9] However, following the 9/11 attack and subsequent advent of internet forums, [10] today conspiracy theories have become “normalized, everyday ways of understanding the world that are tangible in many different manifestations of contemporary culture.” [11]

There are distinguishable styles of communication between “traditional” pseudoscientific forms of conspiracism and newer antiscientific forms, which Federico Pilati and his research partners described as “conspiracy theory” versus “conspiracy-without-theory.” [12] Pseudoscientific traditional conspiracy theories “attempt to mimic the language and methods of science” [13] to present alternative theories with the appearance of academic credibility, although they rely on cherry-picked data and logical fallacies to reassemble scientific or historical facts into those alternative theories. Pseudoscientific conspiracy theories are common in longer-form formats such as internet forums, books, and television documentaries that appeal to quests for evidence and promote discussion of the evidence. [14]

In contrast, antiscientific conspiracy theories, or conspiracies-without-theory, are popular in short-form internet spaces such as social media. Antiscientific conspiracy theories reject such scientific methods and language, favour preconceived notions and subjective beliefs, and promote trolling and antagonistic discussions. Conspiracies-without-theory are less interested in evidence and alternative narratives and instead “appeal to emotions and values” to present “emotionally charged” post-truth narratives. [15]

Social media platforms provide an environment that favours fast-paced, emotionally-charged short-form content and immediate and confrontational interactions, ideal for conspiracies-without-theory. This is not to say that someone engaged in pseudoscientific conspiracism cannot also engage in antiscientific conspiracism in their social media posts—overlap happens. But recognizing the distinctions between conspiracy theories and conspiracies-without-theories is important to finding the most effective strategies for addressing them.

History, including archaeological tellings of history, has long been a popular subject for conspiracy theories through its perceived role as a powerful legitimizer of such narratives. [16] The past is used as a construction material that adds powerful temporal depth to contemporary conspiratorial narratives. [17] Archaeology is especially useful in this regard because it is viewed by conspiracy theorists as an authoritative science in the reconstruction of the past. Thus archaeology, as an authoritative science, can provide scientific “facts” to legitimize conspiratorial narratives. [18] And where there is no archaeology to support an alternative narrative, “pseudoarchaeology and pseudohistory can be fostered and supported to fill the breach.” [19]

Tartarian adherents commonly reference “horse and buggy,” as seen in this Tiktok video screenshot about Vancouver, to suggest that even as late as the early twentieth-century the tools and technology did not exist for constructing large, intricate buildings and, therefore, those buildings were actually constructed by technologically advanced Tartarians. (Screenshot from author)

The popularity of historical conspiracy theories, sometimes also referred to as “alternative histories” or “pseudohistories,” is made obvious through countless popular books, websites, television shows on traditional cable channels and on streaming platforms, and long videos on YouTube that present an astonishing variety of alternative narratives about human history. They are, however, united by what political scientist Michael Barkun termed as “stigmatized knowledge” claims: claims that “true” history has been forgotten, superseded, ignored, rejected, and/or suppressed. [20]

In stigmatized knowledge claims, stigmatization becomes proof of truth—something must be true because it has been rejected, suppressed, et cetera. Stigmatized knowledge claims are sticky, acting like a glue that easily binds historical conspiracy theories to additional conspiratorial narratives whose adherents are already primed to view claims of stigmatization as proof of truth. [21] As religious studies scholar David G. Robertson noted, “If one believes that what we are told about the present is a lie, then it makes sense that the past would be a lie too.” [22]

The reverse can also be true—if one believes that what we are told about the past is a lie, then it makes sense that the present may also be a lie. [23] The Tartaria conspiracy theory [24] is one such example of how historical conspiracy theories blur the line between fact and fiction and open the doors to more dangerous beliefs. Though it is based on elements from older conspiracy theories like Fomenko’s New Chronology, [25] Tartaria first appeared online between 2016 and 201826 and is currently very popular in social and digital media spaces like TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube.

In its most basic sense, Tartaria is an alternative history about an ancient, technologically advanced Tartarian civilization that spread around the world from north-central Asia, constructing magnificent cities everywhere it went. Tartaria is said to have disappeared some time in the 1800s when a sudden and global cataclysm of sorts resulted in a mud flood that destroyed or covered up Tartarian cities. The reason the world has not heard about Tartaria until now is because that history has been suppressed by hiding and altering historical records and demolishing surviving Tartarian structures.

The Tartarian conspiracy theory includes elements common to nearly all historical conspiracy theories, such as the colonization of locations around the world, the possession of advanced technology (especially regarding energy storage and conduction), the suggestion that people of the time were unable to build large architecture without intervention from someone more advanced, and that an environmental cataclysm destroyed Tartarian civilization.

But what sets Tartaria apart is its intense focus on historical architecture, predominantly elaborate styles such as Neo-Classical, Beaux-Arts, and Second Empire, as well as star-shaped bastion forts.

The presence of these architectural styles around the world is said to be evidence of Tartaria’s global spread, and external basement windows that are low to the ground are considered evidence that the building was partially covered by mud during the great mud flood, leaving only the tops of the buildings visible while the rest are buried underground. Red bricks are also important to Tartaria adherents, who believe the bricks were used to store energy.

Additionally, late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century world’s fairs, which were full of elaborate but temporary structures, are argued to have been Tartarian capital cities that were “co-opted to teach a falsified history of the world.” [27] Tartaria adherents argue that the buildings were taken down not because they were always intended to be temporary, but rather because they were demolished as part of the plan to hide Tartaria. [28]

The Tartarian conspiracy theory references architecture found around the world, including in British Columbia. The Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, for example, was suggested as Tartarian architecture in the popular r/Tartaria subreddit page. (Photo courtesy of Coquitlam City Archives)

Tartaria is more than just an alternative history; it is an alternative reality in which the line between what is real and what is fake is intentionally confused. History is replaced with fantasized narratives about the past that can be used to support idealized narratives about the present. Who the Tartarians were and why Tartaria’s history has been hidden has never been clearly defined in the Tartarian conspiracy theory and that is where an opening exists to connect Tartaria to more harmful beliefs. Historical revisionism, including the use of mythologized histories, is considered by experts to be a key characteristic of the global far right, and Tartaria is no exception. [29]

On the Tartaria Britannica website, for example, one can find articles arguing far-right white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy beliefs [30] that ancient Aryans were violently exterminated by invading Tartarians. [31] And recently far-right American media personality Stew Peters [32] released a full-length documentary film about the Tartarian empire, drawing on antisemitic conspiracy theories that wealthy elites from the Rothschild family are involved in hiding the truth about Tartaria’s history. [33]

Because of their ability to connect their adherents to additional harmful beliefs, it is important to address historical conspiracy theories when we encounter them, whether in conversation with someone or if we see them online. Finding effective methods can be challenging, but there are several excellent guidelines available, such as The Debunking Handbook, [34] that outline different strategic methods and help us identify when to employ them. [35] Debunking is the most well-known method and refers to factually correcting incorrect information after that incorrect information has been spread. Although the efficacy of debunking is variable, following the suggested method of 1) simplistically stating the fact, 2) warning once that you are going to discuss disinformation, 3) explaining how that disinformation misleads, and 4) repeating the fact can help improve its efficacy.

Debunking is useful for traditional conspiracy theories that emphasize the importance of evidence, but in the case of antiscientific conspiracies-without-theories, which are not as interested in evidence, debunking is not likely to work. Instead, experts recommend pre-bunking in most cases. Pre-bunking refers to pre-emptively refuting disinformation and conspiracism to build resistance against it. Pre-bunking explains the techniques used to manipulate an audience and promotes critical thinking to enable people to recognize conspiracist and disinformative narratives when they encounter them. When people know what to look for, disinformation and conspiracism loses its ability to deceive. [36]

Not everyone who adheres to historical conspiracism does so with harmful intent. Not all Tartarian believers, for example, subscribe to the far-right beliefs that have been connected to Tartaria. But because historical conspiracism and revisionism have a long history of being used for harmful purposes and because the possibility exists that someone drawn to historical conspiracism can become connected to more dangerous beliefs, it is important that historical conspiracy theories be addressed as they are encountered.

Repetition and patience are key; you cannot change someone’s mind overnight. It is also vitally important to have accessible, factual information that can fill the hole that pre-bunking and debunking creates. Write public articles or blog posts. Write threads or posts on social media. Create or live-stream videos so that when someone opens Instagram or TikTok they’re less likely to encounter Tartaria first and, instead, will find themselves awestruck by human history as it is. No Tartarians needed.

Endnotes
1. Tartaria Uncovered: AntiquiTech, Tesla, Mud Flood & Beyond! Reddit, accessed May 7, 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/20240507224925/https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria
2. Tartaria Uncovered: AntiquiTech, Tesla, Mud Flood & Beyond!
3. Tartaria Uncovered: AntiquiTech, Tesla, Mud Flood & Beyond!
4. Stephen Lewandowsky et al., The Debunking Handbook 2020, p. 4, sks.to/db2020, https://doi.org.10.17910/b7.1182.
5. Lewandowsky et al., Debunking Handbook, 4.
6. Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America, 2nd ed. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013), 3.
7. Barkun, Culture of Conspiracy, 3–4.
8. Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 105–29.
9. Jaron Harambam, Contemporary Conspiracy Culture: Truth and Knowledge in an Era of Epistemic Instability (London: Routledge, 2020), 8; Egil Asprem and Asbjorn Dyrendal, “Conspirituality Reconsidered: How Surprising and How New Is the Confluence of Spirituality and Conspiracy Theory?” Journal of Contemporary Religion 30, no. 3 (2015), 367–82.
10. Federico Pilati, Tommaso Venturini, Pier Luigi Sacco, and Floriana Gargiulo, “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism: A Comparison of the Flat Earth Society’s Internet Forum and Reddit,” New Media and Society, May 14, 2024, 3, http://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241252593.
11. Harambam, Contemporary Conspiracy Culture, 8.
12. Pilati et al., “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism,” 1.
13. Pilati et al., “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism,” 3.
14. Pilati et al., “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism,” 4.
15. Pilati et al., “Pseudo-scientific versus Anti-scientific Online Conspiracism,” 4. The Cambridge Dictionary defines post-truth as “relating to a situation in which people are more likely to accept an argument based on their emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts.”
16. James R. Lewis, “Excavating Tradition: Alternative Archaeologies as Legitimation Strategies,” Numen 59, no. 2/3 (2012): 202–21, https://www.jstor.org/stable/23244959.
17. Stephanie Halmhofer, “Manufacturing History: Atlantis, Aryans, and the Use of Pseudoarchaeology by the Far-Right,” in Conspiracy Theories and Extremism in New Times, ed. by Christopher T. Connor, Matthew N. Hannah, and Nicholas J. McMurray (Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 2024), 53-82.
18. Lewis, “Excavating Tradition.”
19. Bettina Arnold, “Pseudoarchaeology and Nationalism: Essentializing Difference,” in Archaeological Fantasies, ed. by Garrett G. Fagan (Abingdon: Routledge, 2006), 156.
20. Barkun, Culture of Conspiracy, 26 – 29
21. Halmhofer, “Manufacturing History,” 59–61.
22. David G. Robertson, UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age (New York: Bloomsbury, 2016), 16.
23. Halmhofer, “Manufacturing History,” 61.
24. For an excellent introductory explainer of the Tartaria conspiracy theory, listen to Episode 273: “The Tartarian Empire,” QAnon Anonymous (a.k.a. QAA) Podcast. The episode is available on all major music and podcast streaming services. See also Zach Mortice, “Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire,’ the QAnon of Architecture,” Bloomberg.com, April 27, 2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-04-27/inside-architecture-s-wildest-conspiracy-theory; and Brian Dunning, “Tartaria and the Mud Floor,” Skeptoid Podcast, February 2, 2021, https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4765.
25. Fomenko’s New Chronology argues that human history prior to the 1600s has been entirely fabricated. See the Wikipedia entry, “New Chronology (Fomenko), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_chronology_(Fomenko).
26. Mortice, “Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire.’”
27. Mortice, “Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire,’” para. 22.
28. Mortice, “Inside the ‘Tartarian Empire.’”
29. Halmhofer, “Manufacturing History,” 53-54.
30. Brian Duignan, “replacement theory,” in Encyclopaedia Brittanica Online, May 31, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/replacement-theory.
31. True Aryan History, “The Mongol Empire Never Existed,“ Tartaria Britannica, March 4, 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20231202085845/https://tartariabritannica.com/blog/the-mongol-empire-never-existed/.
32. Kiera Butler, “The Far-Right Bounty Hunter Behind the Explosive Popularity of ‘Died Suddenly,’” Mother Jones, May–June, 2023, para. 5, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/02/stew-peters-the-far-right-bounty-hunter-behind-the-explosive-success-of-died-suddenly/.
33. Eyes on the Right, “Stew Peters Promotes Claim That the Capitol Was Built by a Race of Giants,” Angry White Men [blog], May 21, 2024, https://angrywhitemen.org/2024/05/21/stew-peters-promotes-claim-that-the-capitol-was-built-by-a-race-of-giants/.
34. Lewandosky et al., Debunking Handbook 2020.
35. Stephanie Halmhofer, “A [Semi-] Solicited Guide on Pre-bunking and Debunking,” Bones, Stones, and Books, February 2, 2024, https://bonesstonesandbooks.com/2024/02/02/a-semi-solicited-guide-on-pre-bunking-and-debunking.
36. Sander van der Linden, “Countering Misinformation through Psychological Inoculation,”in Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 69, (2024): 1–58, https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aesp.2023.11.001.

Stephanie Halmhofer grew up in Steveston. She has worked as an archaeologist in several Canadian provinces and is currently also a PhD student at the University of Alberta. The narrowed focus of her research is on Brother XII and the Aquarian Foundation through which she studies the archaeology of conspirituality and conspiritual landscapes. More broadly, her research also examines the use of pseudoarchaeology in far-right and conspiritual worldviews.

How have Chinese Canadian stories and history been expressed through poetry? Moderated by Vancouver’s current Poet Laureate, Fiona Tinwei Lam, and joined by award-winning spoken word artist Christopher Tse and emerging poet James X. Wang, this combined poetry performance and panel discussion will explore how Chinese Canadian identity, including the history around the Chinese Exclusion Act era, has been upheld through contemporary works of poetry.

Watch the full video here.

Our province is teeming with history, but many of us haven’t had the chance to visit the various heritage sites spread out across British Columbia because, well, let’s face it, our province is pretty big. While plenty of museums and exhibits can be found in our bigger metropolitan areas, there is so much more to discover once you get away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. 

To discover some of lesser-visited spots, BC Living has compiled a list of a few key places you should check out on a cultural road trip, with stops in New Denver, Revelstoke, Wells, Prince George, and Prince Rupert. Each area pays homage to the key industries that shaped us as a province—just think logging, mining, and even fishing! 

Check it out here.

As Ken Blackburn steps away from 19 years at the Museum at Campbell River, he took the time to reflect on its transformation from a dusty archive to a highly respected institution that is a key player in not only the cultural life of the community but also its economy.

Blackburn came onboard with the museum as it, like many others across the country, was stepping into a central role in incorporating heritage and culture into the economy and identifying the added value of culture and cultural institutions as partners in prosperity.

It has now established itself as a major player and that will serve Campbell River well in the coming years, said Blackburn the now-retired Programs Manager for the Museum at Campbell River.

Read the full article here.

Summer is always a busy time at the Sooke Region Museum.

Over the past four months, five students have played a crucial role in their ongoing projects at the Museum and Visitor Centre.

You can read more about their achievements in this article.

An excerpt from the fall issue of British Columbia History

1 New Digs for Sasquatch

The new Harrison Hot Springs Visitor Centre. Photo: Mark Forsythe 

The mythical Sasquatch has deep spiritual and cultural meaning for the Sts’ailes people who believe Sasquatch (Sa:sq’ets) watches over the land. Red ochre paintings depicting the shape-shifting creature date back thousands of years, and Sasquatch continues to have pride of place at a newly constructed Harrison Hot Springs Visitor Centre, home to the Harrison Sasquatch Museum. Its collection includes casts of mysterious footprints, first-hand accounts, photos, maps, and conjecture about the hairy creature, also dubbed Bigfoot.

There have been more than 3,000 documented sightings in the region over the last century. Harrison Hot Springs is at the epicentre. The Sts’ailes people adopted a stylized Sasquatch figure for their logo and flag; a nearby provincial park bears the name; and Harrison Hot Springs has promoted itself as Land of the Sasquatch. Sasquatch statues, murals, mugs, and socks abound in the lakeside village, which also hosts Sasquatch Days each summer. Located at 499 Hot Springs Road, the museum promises “an immersive journey through the realms of both fact and folklore.” Admission is free.

2 BC’s Francophone Ranchers

Francophone ranchers: Ernest Patenaude, left, at Harper’s Camp, today the village of Horsefly, near the present-day city of Williams Lake, 1896. Photo: Horsefly Museum P982-15cn

BCHF member and executive director of La Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, Maurice Guibord, has been uncovering stories of Francophone ranchers in the Cariboo, Thompson, and Okanagan. A grant from Digital Museums Canada supported oral history interviews with descendants whose families established ranches in the 1860s and 1870s.

Daryl Minnaberriet is the great-grandson of Louis Antoine Minnaberriet, who came from the Basque region of France. He first chased gold in California and in 1861 began ranching near Spences Bridge. He married La’staa, a local Indigenous woman, and preempted 160 acres of land. Daryl remarks, “Preempted is another fancy term for stealing native land.” Louis Antoine later left La’staa and their son to start a new European family. A common practice at the time, it still rankles Daryl.

Basque Ranch remains in operation and is now owned by the Cooks Ferry Band—in a sense it has come full circle. Learn more about the contributions of the Minnaberriet, Boucherie, Guichon, Isnardy, Lequime, Patenaude, Pigeon, and Versepuech families at the Digital Museums Canada website, digitalmuseums.ca/funded-projects/the-francophone-ranchers-of-british-columbias-interior-plateau.

3 100 Years of BC Books

Howard White shares publishing tales at SFU Harbourside. Photo: Greg Dickson

Don Stewart (left) in conversation with Vancouver writer Rod Mickleburgh. Photo: Greg Dickson

Book lovers paid $25 each to gather at SFU Harbour Centre to celebrate publisher Howard White and Vancouver bookseller Don Stewart. The venerable pair have logged more than 100 years in the BC book trade between them. Howard and Mary White’s Harbour Publishing has brought 1,000 titles into the world—many with a BC historical focus. Early success came with Raincoast Chronicles, which captured the spirit and culture of the coast.

The Sunshine Coast-based publisher eventually acquired an extensive Douglas & McIntyre catalogue and helped launch other BC publishing houses. Howard was encouraging his own competition, as BC Bookworld founder Alan Twigg remarked. The one that got away was distribution rights for the Harry Potter series—before it went viral.

Alberta-born Don Stewart knew book-selling would be his lifetime occupation at age 21, when he purchased MacLeod’s Books. Anyone passing through its doors marvels at stacks of books rising from floor to ceiling. (A Stan Douglas photo of this organized chaos once hung in the Vancouver Art Gallery). Request a title, and Don knows where to locate it among the estimated 100,000 titles. “It’s very important to offer books at all levels to people,” said Don in a Vancouver Sun profile. The event was presented by BC Bookworld, philanthropist Yosef Wosk, the Simon Fraser University Library, and the Alcuin Society.

4 PARC Campus Takes Shape

The PARC Campus under construction; PARC is an acronym for Provincial Archives, Research and Collection. Photo: Gregg Carmichael

The new Royal BC Museum facility to house the BC Archives is now beginning to look like a building. Located at Colwood, in Greater Victoria, the PARC (Provincial Archives, Research and Collection) Campus is a 15,200-square-metre structure built from mass timber, engineered from compressed wood. The $270-million facility won’t be large enough to accommodate the entire provincial collection; much will remain in storage in the Victoria region, but there will be expanded lab and research space for public access to artifacts.

BCHF and Friends of the BC Archives have urged more meaningful consultation with BC Archives. There have now been online engagements with staff and surveys for public input into province-wide access to services, research and educational services, staffing levels, Indigenous reconciliation, and improved public access to the Colwood location. (Additional bus service from downtown Victoria is planned.) Find more information at the Royal BC Museum Collections and Research Building Project website, collectionsandresearchbuilding.ca.

5 Final Flights

Hawaii Mars in flight. Photo: Coulson Aviation

The Martin Mars water bombers are possibly the most admired aircraft to ever grace BC skies. British Columbians watched these massive planes tackle forest fires for five decades. Now out of service, the last two surviving Mars aircraft have been donated by Coulson Aviation to two museums. The iconic red and white Hawaii Mars made a low pass along the Vancouver Island coastline during its final flight from Sproat Lake to the BC Aviation Museum in Sidney. The Philippine Mars, with original US Navy colours, is bound for the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

Built during the Second World War to carry US troops and cargo, they were later converted into the world’s largest water tankers after a consortium of BC forest companies acquired four Mars in 1958 (25,000 litres could be scooped up in 22 seconds.) One crashed while fighting a fire in 1961 with the loss of four lives; another was destroyed by Typhoon Freda in 1962. In 2007 Coulson Aviation purchased the last two and grew its fire-fighting fleet into the largest (in volume) in the world. Many British Columbians lamented the Mars’ final retirement in 2015, but enthusiasts can get a close look at Hawaii Mars, soon on permanent display at the BC Aviation Museum, bcam.net. •

Mark Forsythe travels through BC and back in time, exploring the unique work of British Columbia Historical Federation members. 

One of the totem poles in Vancouver's Stanley Park has been moved to the University of B.C.'s Museum of Anthropology.

The Kakaso'las totem pole has been on loan to Vancouver's largest park since 1985, according to the city's park board. Now that loan has expired, it has been returned to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA).

It is six metres tall, and features many important figures in Kwakwaka'wakw culture: the thunderbird, a sea-bear holding an orca, a man holding a frog, Bak'was (the wild man of the woods), Dzunuk'wa (giant of the woods) and a raven.

Kakaso'las was carved by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Ellen Neel in 1955. The Alert Bay-born artist made waves at the time for being one of the first female carvers to find success in a traditionally male-dominated space.

You can read the original article from CBC here.

Digital Museums Canada (DMC) helps build digital capacity in Canadian museums and heritage, and cultural and Indigenous organizations, giving people living in Canada unique access to diverse stories and experiences. They have invested in more than 240 projects with nearly $20 million in funding. This is an excellent way to share your history and heritage with the nation!

In advance of the application deadline, DMC is hosting information sessions, in French and English, for their Community Stories and Digital Projects streams.

You can learn more about the program and sign up for the information sessions by visiting the DMC website here.