Shortcomings of a museum

Page 5

The Royal British Columbia Museum does not do a very good job at sharing the First Nations story as they misrepresent territory and only help to uphold the mythical Indian image and completely sidestep the real history.

Victoria?s Inner Harbor was the site of the Songhees' village before Europeans moved onto the land. The whole area was a natural garden of camas, rice root and other plants cared for by them. The Native Plant Garden is very small and does little justice to the way the land and natural resources was managed by the Aboriginal peoples. The museum should respect the Songhees by at least acknowledging the area as Songhees territory in some highly visible form.

Chief Robert Sam of the Songhees has said in public that the agreement made concerning the use of Metulia (the area known as Victoria) involved over one hundred half-blankets, and was the price paid to the Songhees people. Furthermore, 'the blankets have long since disintegrated and the rent is due' as Chief Sam states.

The totem poles and houses at Thunderbird Park are out of place in downtown Victoria because they are not Songhees. The inside of the building may be the appropriate location to display other First Nations' artifacts, including replicas. In the case of totem poles, they are so large and were originally meant to be outside; the museum should give them back to the First Nations of the territories where they originated.

The entrance foyer has a number of poles on display, including two large Nuu Chah Nulth welcome figures. However, there are no signs to indicate that the two figures are welcoming the visitors to the museum.

The First Peoples Hall is based upon a timeline. Visitors first encounter the oldest materials and work their way towards the contemporary. A Bill Reid sculpture is the only artwork representing contemporary First Nations' art. In addition, there is a mezzanine level that is not wheel chair accessible, effectively cutting off half of the exhibit to some of the visitors.

A small poster-map of B.C.'s First Nations is displayed in an obscure location. Also, the First Peoples Hall is set up like an art gallery because there is very little interpretation of the artifacts. For instance, the collage casts of various petroglyphs have no identification showing place of origin or extent.

The museum overlooked the historical treatment of First Nations. There are no displays about residential schools, Indian reservations, banning of potlatches and sun dances, etc. A burnt mask is displayed to supposedly represent the anti-potlatch law but it is in a small pedestal-style showcase with practically no interpretation.

Overall, the exhibition has some really great points of interest to it. There are numerous locations with benches to sit on. One of the main features of the exhibition is the Henry Hunt house. It is useful for interpretive talks to school kids and tour groups. Other than the Hunt house, there are no interactive displays for enhanced participation and learning.