July 14, 2020
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) has received more than $200,000 for a Virtual Museums Canada grant for a forthcoming exhibition focusing on the history of the Indian and tuberculosis (TB) hospitals in BC and Alberta.
The Centre has a mandate to support education, provide access to records, support research and foster dialogue about the Indian Residential School system and its legacies. This online exhibition will chronicle the history of Indian hospitals from the 1940s to the early 1970s and ongoing implications for Indigenous communities, providing a crucial look at this forgotten chapter of Canadian history.
Records related to Indian hospitals are often dispersed and difficult to access, thus a virtual exhibition bringing them together is a key resource for providing context, and making it easier for users to engage with the topic. Combining video/audio testimonies from Survivors, archival documents, multi-media and digitized belongings and objects, the exhibition will be available for both post-secondary learners and communities across Canada.
“This will be a multi-year project and will allow us to strengthen and deepen our connections with communities and researchers, such as the Snuneymuxw and other Nations who have advocated for this work for years,” says Centre Academic Director Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, Aki-kwe. “I’m so grateful for every step we take to do this good work together with communities.”
The Virtual Museum of Canada is a federally funded investment program that helps build digital capacity in Canadian museums and heritage organizations. The funding is targeted at unique, diverse stories for Canadians – exhibitions must be bilingual, with engaging user experiences. The Centre received nearly $220,000 from VMC, and an additional $248,000 from in-kind partnerships. The Centre is also one of only two BC institutions to receive funding this year.
“This exhibition will provide an important dimension to efforts in reconciliation and support a demonstrated need for pedagogical resources for students and educators across disciplines as they engage on issues of anti-racism education and reconciliation,” says Centre Director Elizabeth Shaffer, who is the lead investigator for the project.
The Centre is already in the planning stages for the project, with Shaffer leading preparations. “Elizabeth is the principal investigator, and she is providing the leadership and knowledge essential to bring this project forward,” says Aki-kwe.
Records and research affiliated with the Indian and TB hospitals currently reside in government, church, regional, local and University archives. This funding will allow the IRSHDC to work with partners such as Library and Archives Canada, Royal BC Museum and Archives, the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, the United Church of Canada Archives, Vancouver Isand University, the Legacy of Hope Foundation, the Chilliwack Museum and Archives, and a number of community and academic researchers with expertise and experience in researching Indian hospitals in Western Canada. The funding includes digitization of both public and private materials relevant to the project, which will aid researchers at partner organizations and enhance community access.
Due to the sensitive nature of the personal and public records from the hospitals, the Centre is also building partnerships to co-create other stand-alone systems that can facilitate access to materials while respecting the private nature of the materials. Although it is outside the scope of the funding, providing nuanced access is crucial as the project is guided by the voices of Survivors, and Indigenous communities.
Project partners include libraries, museums and archives such as Library Archives Canada, the Royal BC Museum and Archives, Prince Rupert Archives, the United Church of Canada Pacific Mountain Region Archives, and the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre. Other partners include Vancouver Island University – which sits adjacent to the Indian Hospital in Nanaimo, the Legacy of Hope Foundation, UBC’s Emerging Media Lab, UBC Advanced Research Computing (ARC), and independent researchers.
The Mistreated: the legacy of Indian hospitals in BC and Alberta exhibition will be in development for several years, with a planned launch for 2023.
For more on the Virtual Museums of Canada approved proposals, view the announcement on their website.