True Left

Canadian museum closes Indigenous galleries to begin ‘the process of decolonisation’

The Royal British Columbia Museum will overhaul an entire floor of exhibits devoted to Indigenous and First Nations groups
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The First Peoples Gallery is a conglomeration of many stories about Indigenous peoples, some in partnership with Indigenous peoples & others done expressly without consent. What exists is an incoherent gallery that is reflective of the colonial posture of the province itself.

Take this cradleboard for instance, which is part of the museum's 'Living Languages' display.

“The museum claims that the object was ‘donated’ in 1929,” Sebastian said. “That was when Ktunaxa children were forced to attend residential school, when we could not hire lawyers, our cultural practices were outlawed, we could not vote and required the Indian agent's permission to leave the rez.”

The museum, one of Canada’s oldest, is situated in central Victoria on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations). It was founded in 1886 and today contains more than 7 million objects, including natural history specimens, works by First Nations groups and archaeological artefacts, as well as the British Columbia Archives collection of historical documents.