This issue of the Buzz is archived at https://tinyurl.com/438kd8s5

MEMBER NEWS

Enter your publication for the BC Historical Writing Awards

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

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

In 2024, with your help, we were able to fund four incredible projects through the Centennial Legacy Fund (CLF), awarding a total of $10 000 to support small, innovative, and hard-to-fund projects in BC. In the coming weeks we will be highlighting these projects, and we hope you will consider partnering with us again to make these grants possible in 2025! The Centennial Legacy Fund is sustained through donations from individuals and organizations like you who believe that historical research, preservation, and commemoration are essential for building a bright future together.

To donate to the Centennial Legacy Fund, click the link to be redirected to the BCHF CanadaHelps page and receive an automatic tax receipt upon donation.

Kootenay Columbia Educational Heritage Society Digitizes High School Yearbooks

The Kootenay Columbia Educational Heritage Society was established in 2005 to collect and preserve the history of education in School District No. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia), which comprises the former School Districts No. 9 (Castlegar) and No. 11 (Trail). The Society manages an archives in the basement of the JL Crowe Secondary School in Trail and has undertaken a number of projects over the years to inform the public of the history of education in the School District.

Their latest project is to digitize the high school yearbooks of the current and former high schools in the District and make them available to the public via the internet. They have partnered with UBC Okanagan Library/Special Collections and Archives to have the yearbooks placed on their BC Regional Digitized History website with a link available on their website.

The site currently contains the yearbooks of the JL Crowe High School (72), the Trail High School (7) and the Trail Jr. High School (9). This fall the yearbooks of the Rossland High School will be digitized and in 2025 the yearbooks of Castlegar and Beaver Valley schools will be digitized. The last 25 years of the current school yearbooks are being withheld for privacy reasons.

Reconciliation Toolkit for Non-Indigenous Archives now available

The CCA Archives Advisory Services Working Group is pleased to announce that the Reconciliation Toolkit for Non-Indigenous Archives in Canada is now available. 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

"Mac-Paps saluted: Remembering Canadians who fought in the Spanish Civil War" by Mark Forsythe

On Nov. 11, 2024, volunteers will place white flowers on the graves of British Columbians who volunteered to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The commemoration at B.C. cemeteries is the unique initiative of the Mac-Pap Tribute, a group dedicated to recognizing what many see as “forgotten soldiers.”

The Mac-Paps, or Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, were part of the International Brigades that fought General Francisco Franco’s fascist forces as they seized power from the elected government. More than 1,600 Canadians fought alongside the Spanish Army.

“When you start doing the research you start falling in love with them and feel terrible that nobody knows about them and nobody’s acknowledging them. So it’s just a little way to pay tribute to these people,” said MacPap Tribute organizer Pamela Vivian. “They’re not recognized here in Canada, no one talks about them, barely anyone knows about them.”

Directory Assistance: For What City?

The UBC Library needs your help! They are digitizing British Columbia directories in order to make them available publicly online, and are looking for 2 indexes. Can you help find them? Read the request from Doug Brigham below:

"I'm reaching out to the local history community to try and locate copies of two indexes for British Columbia directories:

1. The Researcher's Guide to British Columbia Nineteenth Century Directories: A Bibliography and Index (Lutz & Young, 1988)
2. The Researcher's Guide to British Columbia Directories, 1901-1940: A Bibliography and Index (Young & Lutz, 1992)

I would like to digitize the indexes as part of a project I'm working on: a map-based platform for locating BC towns and directories. The indexes are held fairly widely in libraries, but I'm having trouble locating copies that I can use for digitization.

If you have copies of either of these indexes that you are willing to sell or donate to the project - or if you know someone who might be - I would appreciate hearing from you!

And if you'd just like to connect to talk about BC directories, I'd love that too."

If you can help, contact Doug at doug.brigham@ubc.ca 

Are you a member society with news to share in The Buzz? Send it to laura@bchistory.ca

HISTORICAL NOTES

Victoria Chinatown Museum to be made permanent

Canada’s oldest Chinatown now has a permanent space to tell its story.

What was intended as a temporary exhibit in Victoria’s Fan Tan Alley will now be made permanent, and be named the Victoria Chinatown Museum.

The Victoria Chinatown Museum Society is now seeking provincial and federal funding so it can expand the facility and share Chinese Canadian history and stories with visitors from B.C. and around the world.

“We believe our history is important and now having her honour be our honourary patron means that everyone will understand the importance of Chinese Canadian history as Canadian history,” society chair Grace Wong Sneddon said.

The museum first opened in 2021 and has hosted 100,000 visitors since then.

Residential school memorial created in Port Hardy dedicated at Canadian Museum of History

A Kwakwaka’wakw artist’s memorial carving dedicated to those who attended residential schools ended its three-year cross-country journey from Port Hardy on Monday when it was formally unveiled as a display in the Canadian Museum of History’s permanent collection.

Indian Residential School Memorial Monument, a stark black-and-orange pillar covered with 130 individually hand-carved unsmiling faces created by master carver Stanley Hunt, was inaugurated in front of a crowd of around 900 people that included Canada’s chief of defence staff Gen. Jennie Carignan.

About 50 Kwakiutl community members travelled from Fort Rupert (T’sakis) to usher in the monument’s next chapter, at the museum in Gatineau, Que., across the Ottawa River from Ottawa.

Hunt said the delegation was met by an Algonquin Elder on Monday morning in accordance with Algonquin protocol. “We answered them with our drum and song, the songs of seeing the monument here in Ottawa for a journey all the way across the country.”

Everywhere they stopped during the journey, residential-school survivors came to see the carving, he said.

The 18-foot-tall, four-feet-wide carving topped by a raven features an inverted cross, as well as an upside-down maple leaf and abbreviations for the RCMP and the North-West Mounted Police.

Vancouver Maritime Museum set to revitalize St. Roch Gallery to include and honour Inuit perspectives

The Vancouver Maritime Museum is embarking on a significant revitalization of its St. Roch Gallery, set to offer a more immersive and inclusive experience beginning in August 2025. 

The gallery, which showcases the legendary vessel that was the first to navigate the Northwest Passage from west to east, will undergo its most extensive update since its original unveiling in 1974. This project aims to bring new life to the stories of St. Roch’s Arctic expeditions, incorporating Indigenous perspectives and modern technology to enhance visitors’ understanding of these historic journeys.

The updated exhibit will feature multimedia presentations, additional artifacts, and sound and light installations that will provide deeper insight into the crew’s experiences and the significant contributions of Inuit guides like Panikpakuttuk. The museum is collaborating with Inuit artists and historians Maarta Kyak and Deborah Kigjugalik Webster to ensure these narratives are authentic and respected.

“The story of the St. Roch and the crew, including Inuit and their stories, is an intriguing part of Arctic history that needs to be told more fully. After months of the team working on this interpretive plan and schematic design, it was presented to us. I was so moved to tears,” shares Kigjugalik Webster in a statement. “It really touched my heart to realize that visitors will soon be able to learn the full story of the St. Roch through an Inuit lens. I’m very happy that the Vancouver Maritime Museum is moving forward. In this time of reconciliation, it’s very important to share all of our history and in a way that was not done before.”

The full revitalization is expected to be complete by May 2026.

Park dream coming true at Lytton

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.

Amanda Christmas joins Okanagan Archives

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."

Witsuwit'en delegation travels to Paris to reconnect with historic totem pole

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.”

Mill Bay celebrates changing times

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.

The museum is at the back of the church at 2851 Church Way on the Malahat Highway outside the town.

Marking 100 years since a Doukhobor leader’s death

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.

VIDEOS

1907 White Riot

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.

Burning History - Uncovering the Role of Fire in BC's Ecosystems

In this unique two-part presentation, Jen Baron describes from a cultural ecologist's point of view the evolution of BC's forests and how, when they're managed as commodities, wild fires become more destructive; then, artist Liz Toohey-Wiese explains how a diverse group of painters and sculptors have come together to create shows and books on the subject of Fire.

Holiday 1909 - Charles "Chappy" Chapman

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.

EVENTS

Reflections on "The Paper Trail" Exhibition with Elwin Xie

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

In the Trenches, Among the Tanks: First and Second World War Records and Resources

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.

ADVERTISING

The BCHF offers a number of advertising opportunities in our e-newsletter, which is distributed to our entire membership monthly. Advertisements are jpeg images sized to 600 px wide for electronic distribution. To submit an ad, contact Laura Van Zant: laura@bchistory.ca

1-3 months = $100 each ($100-$300 annually)
4 months = $90 each ($360 annually)
6 months = $80 each ($480 annually)
8 months = $70 each ($560 annually)
12 months = $50 each ($600 annually)

Rates for non-members are as follows:

1-3 months = $150 each ($150-$450 annually)
4 months = $140 each ($560 annually)
6 months = $130 each ($780 annually)
8 months = $120 each ($960 annually)
12 months = $100 each ($1,200 annually)

British Columbia Historical Federation

Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 247 • info@bchistory.ca

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