Blog & News

The British Columbia Museum Association (BCMA) has released a De-escalation and Harm Reduction toolkit as part of their Safety+ resource collection.

From the BCMA:

"Museum and cultural workers all over BC have expressed feeling unprepared to respond to crisis situations involving community members and patrons experiencing emergencies, especially those relating to mental health crisis and drug overdose. This toolkit is meant to provide workers with the knowledge and tools to assess and respond to emergencies while feeling safe and empowered. Our intention is to share a resource that can initiate discussions within your workplace so that your organization can take a collective commitment to life-affirming and humanizing practices whenever possible. We hope this supports you to be in service to your community and move from a place of love!"

The toolkit can be accessed here.

Photo: Sierra William, Loretta Jeff and Chantu Williams with three of the 29 qatŝ’ay (coiled root baskets) that were repatriated and are now back in Tŝilhqot’in territory.

In 1974, the remains of a Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation ancestor that had been donated to the Museum of Vancouver seven years earlier were returned to the Cape Mudge Reserve, on the southern tip of Quadra Island, to be respectfully reburied.

It was long before museums around the world would collectively recognize the ethical imperative to return culturally and historically significant Indigenous objects to their rightful owners.

It would be another two decades before the museum would carry out another transfer of this nature, with the return of a collection of archaeological belongings to the Secwepemc Heritage Park, but by the early 2000s, when a new policy was officially added to its collections procedure, the ripple effect of repatriation was in full swing.

Since then, the museum has returned home a total of 384 belongings and 59 ancestors, says Sharon Fortney, the museum’s senior curator of Indigenous collections, engagement and repatriation.

They include repatriations to Indigenous communities in both B.C. and far-flung countries, including the return of a Korowai cloak to New Zealand’s Māori in 2010 and 255 belongings and ancestral remains to the Saginaw Chippewa in the United States in 2012.

Read the full article here.

Brew yourself a cup of tea and sit down with Jazmin and Madison to chat, seek advice, and get to know other cultural professionals of colour.

These sessions are always free, and don’t require registration.

*A gentle reminder that these sessions are for folks who identify as Indigenous, Black, or a Person of Colour. Thank you for respecting this affinity space.*

Learn more here.

Brian Wich is a self-described "train nut." 

He is also the park manager of the Central Railway and Forestry Museum in Prince George, a city in north-central B.C. 

Wich says the museum had been warned that one of its priceless artifacts — a vintage Nathan M5 Airchime Train Horn was at risk of being stolen. 

He says pictures of the horn were found circulating on a Discord server in the United States. 

"The fellow that saw it there actually phoned a friend of his up here who is a collector, who then immediately phoned us and warned us that perhaps our horn was in jeopardy," said Wich. 

The museum staff immediately tried to remove the horn for safekeeping from its position atop a locomotive but couldn't because the bolts were rusty. 

When they returned the next day with the right tools to remove it, they discovered it had been stolen in the middle of the night. 

Read the full article here.

A new exhibition is shedding light on the personal histories of seven families affected by the forced removal and dispossession of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during the 1940s.

In 1942, the Canadian government ordered the forced removal of nearly 22,000 Japanese Canadians from B.C.’s coast. The exhibition, through photographs, artifacts, archival documents, and personal stories, explores the impact of these events.

The exhibit is part of Landscapes of Injustice, a seven-year research project led by the University of Victoria in collaboration with 15 institutions, including the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre and Library and Archives Canada. The project investigates how Japanese Canadians lost their homes, businesses, and communities during the Second World War, yet found ways to rebuild their lives in Canada.

“This exhibition confronts a dark chapter of our shared history, giving voice to the Japanese Canadian families who endured forced displacement and dispossession,” said Jillian Povarchook, executive director of the Kelowna Museums Society.

The exhibition is now open to the public at the Okanagan Heritage Museum and runs until June 22. For more details, including hours of operation, visit the Kelowna Museums website.

The 1981 building, which also formerly housed The Keg and the Lodge restaurants, sits on land that has been owned by the Sewell family since the 1930s.

Read the full article here.

Naomi Miller, an honorary lifetime member of the BC Historical Federation, has died at 98.

Miller was the BCHF's president in 1986-87 and honorary president in 2005-06. She was editor of the British Columbia Historical News (now BC History) from 1988-98. Under her guidance, the magazine doubled its page count.

She wrote Fort Steele: Gold Rush to Boom Town and co-edited The Forgotten Side of the Border with Wayne Norton. She also wrote for the BC History of Nursing newsletter, and was a history columnist for the Tri-Village Buzz.

Miller received honorary life memberships from the BC History of Nursing Society, the Friends of Fort Steele Society, and the Kootenay Lake Historical Society. She also received an award of merit from the BC Museums Association for helping to develop the Golden Museum, and was presented with the BC Heritage Award in 1999. She donated the $10,000 prize to the SS Moyie in Kaslo, where she grew up.

Miller died on Feb. 15. Her full obituary can be found here and a longer biography by Nowell Berg can be found here.

Contractor Dave Madden, Slocan Valley Historical Society director Lynnda Moore and society president Joyce Johnson.

Seven years after acquiring a last-of-its kind Japanese-Canadian fishing boat, the Slocan Valley Historical Society has announced construction of the vessel’s shelter is underway.

“After many unexpected delays, we have finally broken ground on the next step in this project,” says president Joyce Johnson.

“The Merriwake has been restored to the condition she was in when she was confiscated during World War II. We are excited to display the boat and share her history, as well as tell part of the internment story.”

Located at Main Street and Fitz Avenue in the Village of Slocan, the display will be accessible and free to all.

The original design for the shelter came from internationally renowned architect Gene Kinoshita, whose family was interned in Slocan. Nelson Rocha of Studio 9 Architecture + Planning Ltd produced the current plans and will oversee the build. Rossland engineer Alison MacLeod of MacLeod Nine Consultants Ltd. is responsible for structural engineering. Nakusp firm Madden Timber Construction was awarded the contract to construct the building.

Construction is anticipated to wrap up this fall.

“This project has been a labour of love for our small society and the many generous donors who have supported us,” says Johnson.

The SVHS will host an opening ceremony to celebrate this significant historical project once finished.

The Merriwake has had a long path to reaching Slocan. It is one of the oldest surviving Japanese-Canadian boats and is in excellent condition for its age. It is a 31-foot gillnetter built in 1929, probably by Matsumoto Boatworks in the Prince Rupert area.

Along with all Japanese-Canadian-owned fishing boats, this craft was impounded by authorities during World War II. It was later sold to BC Packers, and had a series of owners thereafter. Its previous owner, Ted Fitzgerald, brought the boat to Kaslo in 2011, coincidentally another of the internment camps.

The boat was restored by Eric Chevalier of the Copper Nail boatshop in Bonnington.

Architect's drawing of the Merriwake shelter.

From the Amelia Douglas Institute:

"In early 2025, 13 Métis artists participated in an MNBC Heritage Arts Mentorship with Cree-Métis artist Cynthia Boehm: this is the result.

Come to the ADI Showroom and see our exhibition of 13 new mini dog blankets created by amazing artists in our community. See photos of these blankets on some of the artists' own cats and dogs!

Métis dog blankets are a vibrant and meaningful part of Métis material culture. Originally used to decorate and protect dogs that pulled sleds and carried goods, these carefully crafted blankets tell stories of artistry, community, and connection to animals and the land.

Open April 22 to June 27, 2025. Book a visit online or drop in Tues-Thurs, 11-12."

On Saturday, May 3rd, celebrate the Grand Opening of the Lytton Chinese History Museum. Please RSVP if you plan on attending!