When a Squamish Nation exhibit of approximately 70 stone artifacts, along with story-telling and a photo display, takes up a prominent place in the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives next week, it will represent a huge step towards visibility for both the museum and the Squamish people.
The two sponsors will present Pieces of the Past: Squamish Stone Artifacts from Ch'kw'elhp and Schen'k. (Because this is a bilingual event the full title is: Kwekwínmut: Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Smánitmut, tiná7 ta Ch'kw'elhp iy Schen'k.)
It's been an ongoing goal of the museum to collaborate with others and create partnerships, says museum manager/curator Kimiko Hawkes.
"Outreach and partnerships make sense. It brings more into our community," she said.
The museum has always had a First Nations exhibit on the upper floor and Hawkes noticed that when visitors came by they always wanted to know more about the people who used the artifacts. In fact, the Squamish have occupied territory around Gibsons for millennia, and Hawkes points out that history in the area did not start with George Gibson.
"This is a 10,000 year old history and the Squamish people are still here," Hawkes said.
The guest curator is Damara Jacobs-Morris, (Squamish), who has worked in U.S museums and more recently at the North Vancouver Museum. She believes this exhibit allows visitors a chance to explore both the function and cultural significance of the stone pieces.
"In this exhibit the interpretation is coming from the people themselves," Jacobs-Morris points out.
The pieces on show, many of which had been in storage, are considered in archaeological parlance to be from the early, middle and late periods of the Northwest Coast and from a range of site types, permanent villages to seasonal camps.
One half of the first floor has been transformed for this exhibit that includes more than 70 stone artifacts with interpretive text. A soundscape put together by museum assistant Matthew Lovegrove is an acoustic piece that puts the viewer into the ambience. Visitors will hear Squamish being spoken including oral history interviews and the Squamish Origin legend.
A travelling show of 18 archival black and white photos, The Squamish Community: Our People and Places, borrowed from the North Vancouver Museum, will also be on display.
Last year, Hawkes sought direction from the Squamish Nation and her invitation brought a viewing and visit of Squamish elders and councillors.
Dr. Rudy Reimer (Squamish), a president of the Archaeological Society of B.C. conducted an analysis of the items including a feature piece, a mask found on Mount Elphinstone that he determined was made of a composite material of clay and shells. How the mask got from the beach to the mountain is what makes the subject so fascinating.
"There's no documentation of how people used the tools," Hawkes said.
In this matter the curators are working with an artist, a sculptor who uses stone, Sesemiya Tracy Williams, to discover and re-create how the local stone might have been adapted.
Because the museum operates on a minimal budget, the co-curators are happy that the Squamish have provided funding for the exhibit because a display of such calibre could not be done otherwise.
Deborah Jacobs, Squamish Nation education department head and member of the exhibit advisory committee comments, "The land evokes a connection to Squamish place and provides our spirit with a rich landscape. You may come to value and understand the narrative that Ch'kw'elhp and Schen'k provide our humanity in a complex world."
The public is invited to the exhibit opening on Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the museum, 716 Winn Road, Gibsons, to hear a traditional blessing from Chief Ian Campbell and Chief Gibby Jacob, welcome addresses from dignitaries, the viewing of the exhibit and refreshments. It's also an opportunity to meet the co-curators, the advisory committee and the volunteers who worked to make this project a reality. Admission is by donation.
