Blog & News

A group of Witsuwit’en hereditary chiefs, elders, artists, and youth will visit Paris this month to view a historic totem pole taken from their territory nearly a century ago. The K’ëgit pole was sold under pressure in the late 1930s, and has since been housed at the Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Museum since 2001.

“It’s quite emotional when I think about our people,” said Hagwilnekhlh Ron Mitchell, current House Chief of the C’inegh Lhay Yikh (House of Many Eyes) of the Likhsilyu Clan (Small Frog). “I will be happy to see the totem pole and a part of our house and chief’s history, but sad at the same time.”

In 1938, surrealist artist Kurt Seligmann travelled to B.C. to purchase a totem pole, driven by his fascination with Northwest Coast Indigenous art. After consulting with anthropologist Marius Barbeau, who had studied the region’s totem poles, Seligmann selected the K’ëgit pole from the Witsuwit’en village of Tsë Cakh (Hagwilget). The pole, revered for its age and craftsmanship, depicts the story of K’ëgit, a supernatural figure. It was originally raised in the early to mid-1800s by C’idimsggin’ïs, a former house chief of C’inegh Lhay Yikh.

The delegation asserts that the pole was sold under duress. With backing from the Department of Indian Affairs and the local Indian Agent, Seligmann purchased the pole from Likhsilyu House Chief Hagwilnekhlh Arthur Michell and other Witsuwit’en members for a mere $100. The community leaders were pressured into agreeing to the sale, which resulted in the pole being shipped to Paris. It was displayed at the Musée de l’homme (Museum of Man) before being moved to the Quai Branly Museum.

SD54 District Principal of Indigenous Education ’Ilhdesinon Birdy Markert, a descendant of the pole’s original sellers, views the visit as a step toward healing. “It’s an emotional uncovering of past stories regarding our traditions that are difficult to pull apart,” she said. “I want young people to understand what our ancestors went through as they dealt with colonization and how hard they fought to keep our culture and traditions alive.”

Read the full article here.

Join Library and Archives Canada for an introduction to available resources for military history research. Learn how to search for service records for personnel from the First and Second World Wars. Discover techniques for accessing the collections and digitized records such as war diaries, photographs and other resources.

WHEN:  Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm

WHERE: Online

Hosted by the Vancouver Public Library.

Register here.

In 1909, Charles “Chappy” Chapman, Fred Perry, Billy Gray and Charles Macdonald set off for the headwaters of Seymour Creek in North Vancouver. The four friends, members of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club, planned to survey the rugged and virtually unexplored terrain during a summer holiday. They carried survey and photographic equipment, gear and supplies for two weeks, and a pie. Chapman’s granddaughter, Lid Hawkins, discovered his journal decades later. She blended his notes and spectacular photographs of the area to create Holiday 1909, as a tribute to their adventure.

Watch the full video here.

From the Chinese Canadian Museum:

As The Paper Trail to 1923 Exclusion Act exhibition draws to a close, Elwin Xie, Chinese Canadian Museum tour guide and interpreter, will share what he has learned while further researching his family.

Join us for an evening with our knowledgeable and illustrious Museum Interpreter and Tour Guide Elwin Xie, as he shares his lived experience growing up in Vancouver’s Chinatown and his familial ties with the feature exhibition The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. 

Drawing on his conversations with visitors to the Chinese Canadian Museum since opening on July 1, 2023, Elwin will discuss how his encounters have helped clarify some family questions and illuminate colourful stories within the pioneer overseas Chinese community (Lo Wah Kiu 佬華僑) in Saltwater City 鹹水埠 (Vancouver) that came searching for their mythological Gold Mountain (Gum San 金山).

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024

• Location: Chinese Canadian Museum (51 E Pender St.)

• Time: 6:30-8:30 P.M.

• Cost: $5/annual pass holder; $8/general admission visitor; free for youth, student, and senior annual pass holders
  *GST not included

• Register: Registration link here

On Oct. 29, 1924, a train explosion between Grand Forks and Castlegar claimed the lives of Doukhobor leader Peter V. Verigin and eight others. Whether the explosion was accidental or deliberate has never been definitively determined.

To commemorate Verigin’s life and the centennial of this tragic and history-altering event, the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ has been hosting a monthly speaker series.

For more on Verigin’s life, click here.

For more on the explosion, see the Canadian Mysteries website.

For more on the history of the monument erected at the site of the explosion, click here.

Artist Henry Tsang speaks on his art project and book about the 1907 riot that trashed Vancouver's Chinatown and damaged the Powell Street Japanese community, led by members of the Asiatic Exclusion League and organized labour.

Watch the full video here.

The CCA Archives Advisory Services Working Group is pleased to announce that the Reconciliation Toolkit for Non-Indigenous Archives in Canada is now available. The toolkit can be found at this link: https://archivescanada.ca/toolkit/. This Toolkit was made possible thanks to the support of the Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists.

The Reconciliation Toolkit for Non-Indigenous Archives compliments the work of the Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce (TRC-TF) of the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives, which is working on compiling resources to assist Indigenous communities developing their own archives. Together, these resource portals encourage members of the archival community in Canada to develop the skills and knowledge needed to make connections with their local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

The information in this toolkit will support non-Indigenous archives working toward putting the Reconciliation Framework into action within their current archival management practices.

The intent of the Toolkit is to answer "where do we even begin and how do we stay on the path towards Reconciliation?” The Toolkit is intended to be a starting point to support information professionals develop new ways of understanding the Indigenous records within their holdings and develop respectful and reciprocal relationships with their Indigenous colleagues/communities.

The Archives Advisory Services Working Group will be updating the resources on this Toolkit regularly. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact aaswg@archivescanada.ca.

Okanagan Archives is excited to introduce Amanda Christmas as their new Executive Director.

From Okanagan Archives: "Amanda brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to our organization. Her passion for history and dedication to community engagement make her a perfect fit for leading our efforts to preserve and share the rich heritage of the Okanagan Valley. With her at the helm, we are confident that Okanagan Archive will continue to grow and evolve, bringing innovative ideas and renewed energy to our projects. We look forward to the exciting developments under Amanda’s leadership and are thrilled to have her guiding us into this new chapter."

story and photos By Mark Forsythe

The ceremonial cutting of a rawhide ribbon on Tuesday marked the launch of a new park project to honour Chief Cexpe’nthlEm, a revered leader and peace-maker in the Lytton region. 

Cexpe’nthlEm, also known as Spintlum, was the key figure who convinced his people and neighbouring First Nations to pursue a truce with American miners in conflict with Indigenous peoples during the Fraser River gold rush of 1858. This decision averted a full scale war that could have dramatically altered the course of history in what became British Columbia. Cexpe’nthlEm descendants were among those in attendance.

Ernie Michel sings beside the Spintlum memorial that will be part of a new park.

People gathered above the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers at the Splintlum memorial for a ceremony punctuated by traditional songs, prayer and speeches. Wind gusts through the canyon prompted singer Ernie Michel to remark that ancestors were in attendance too, "they’re telling us that they’re here.”  

The park project has been a dream since 2007 when the New Pathways to Gold Society began collaborating with the Lytton First Nation, the Village of Lytton and St Barnabas Anglican Parish. Over the last 17 years the Society has generated almost $8 million for projects in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities along the corridor stretching from Hope to Barkerville. Seed money for the Chief Cexpe’nthlEm Park Project has come from the Province of British Columbia.

Councillor and former New Pathways to Gold Society board member Byron Spinks and Amy Charlie prepare to cut the rawhide ribbon.

Work will begin immediately on creating a park that will feature a new lookout, interpretive signage to share the Cexpe’nthlEm story, and landscaping for a new community gathering space. Lytton First Nation Chief Niakia Hanna told the gathering there are many different interpretations of the Spintlum legacy and that he had to fight his own people — and the miners marshalled against them.

Councillor Byron Spinks said women were behind the decision to opt for peace because going to war during the salmon season would have left people starving the following winter. Lytton mayor Denise O’Connor said the park project will, "help educate people about this important part of a shared history ... and the park will be a place for people to come together.” Work is expected to be completed in the spring of 2025.

The Spintlum Memorial sits high above a breathtaking view of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers.

Lytton First Nation Chief Niakia Hanna

It's that time of year again - we are accepting entries for the British Columbia Historical Federation Historical Writing Awards!

Entries are being accepted for books that were published in 2024, which are on a topic of British Columbia History. 

View our Awards Page for more information and to complete the online entry form. Applicants will submit three copies of the publication to PO Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 2R7 where they will be forwarded to our judges. 

Awards will be presented at the 2025 BCHF Annual Conference Awards Banquet held in Williams Lake on Saturday, May 3. 

APPLY ONLINE