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Different ways of knowing

First Nations cultural centres take different approaches to preserving heritage

At the corner of Lorimer Road and Blackcomb Way sits a plot of undeveloped land. Resting between towering four-star hotels and a parking lot of luxury SUVs, this cluster of five acres alongside Fitzsimmons Creek is a rare jewel in Whistler's heart. The Crown land has been zoned by the Resort Municipality of Whistler and earmarked for the site of Whistler's First Nations Cultural Centre. Whistler's First Nations Cultural Centre you ask? Yes.

Although it is not immediately apparent in our modern four-season resort, the Whistler valley is traditional territory for both the Squamish and Lil'wat people and was used extensively as a summer hunting and meeting ground before pioneer settlers arrived at the turn of the 20 th century. While there is little indigenous activity in the valley now, sacred sites still exist on Blackcomb Mountain and petroglyphs can be found on certain rocks along Green Lake.

The idea for a cultural centre in Whistler arose about six years ago when the RMOW and people from the Squamish and Lil'wat nations began to think about ways that First Nations people could help the resort and vice versa. With strong international tourism and the Olympics on the horizon, a cultural centre was deemed to be an attractive endeavour. However, the idea is not unique to Whistler. In the last 20 years, such projects have become increasingly desirable to a number of First Nations groups across the province.

In the last two decades, B.C.'s First Nations people have been working to regain control over their culture, history and identities - a struggle that began more than 200 years ago with the arrival of European settlers. Along with their ships and colonies, the European pioneers also brought new languages, tools, weapons, sugar, alcohol and illness. Diseases like smallpox and measles were deadly to the First Nations people whose immune systems had not been exposed to such viruses. It is estimated that in 1780 the native population in B.C. was 80,000. By 1930 that number had declined to 20,000.

With the loss of such numbers, it was believed that the First Nations population would eventually die out. When it became clear that this was not going to happen, the Canadian government created a policy to assimilate the indigenous people. Tribes were moved off their traditional lands onto government-approved reserves and laws were created to control native culture. Ceremonial practices such as the potlatch festival were outlawed; anyone caught disobeying was jailed and their associated regalia taken away. First Nations children were placed into government-run residential schools where indigenous language, culture, dress and religion were prohibited.

Such policies and practices were accepted until the 1970s, when the United Nations officially recognized the world's indigenous people as having the right to self-determination, the ability to freely determine political status and the means to pursue economic, social and cultural development. As Canadian First Nations policies were amended, B.C.'s First Nations people embarked on a quest to regain their identity. One of the means of achieving such a goal was to re-visit the treaty process abandoned at the end of the 19 th century with both the federal and provincial governments. In addition to recognizing Canada's indigenous populations as exactly that - the First Nations - treaties also ensure rights to access and control traditional lands, natural resources, language, education and culture. Cultural centres were developed from the treaty process as a place for First Nations to house, preserve, exhibit, participate and teach culture.

During the colonization and settlement of North America, explorers and anthropologists collected artifacts and other material heritage from the indigenous people and sent it to museums around the world, including the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Field Museum in Chicago, and the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. Again, they were acting under the assumption that the native populations would eventually die out; hence it was imperative for science and learning that evidence of their existence be collected and preserved. In general, museums are a construct of western culture and are based on western values of preservation, value and aesthetic.

For the most part, such principles and practices are not in line with First Nations' notions of material heritage. For example, in a traditional museum an artifact is locked up in a glass case and handled using white gloves in order to maximize the piece's existence. Conversely, in an indigenous setting, often it is the relationship or process around working with such an artifact that is valuable, not the piece itself. Hence, a wooden carving might be left outside, subject to the elements, while its presence works to fulfill a symbolic purpose in that community.

In recent years, however, there has been a move to recognize First Nations' preservation practices as legitimate. This recognition has involved collaborative work and the repatriation of indigenous artifacts to their rightful communities, as demonstrated last year by the return of 150 human remains to the Haida people from the Field Museum in Chicago. As understanding and respect for First Nations culture has grown, so has the idea that First Nations people are the only ones who can speak for themselves.

In the last 20 years, a number of cultural centres have sprung up around the province as locations for First Nations to house returned materials and gather strength. Each centre is different as each First Nations group has its own unique heritage. In 2001, the Department of Canadian Heritage studied cultural centres to evaluate support programs, identify successes and failures, and define future direction for such projects. At the conclusion of the study, they classified the centres into three types: the Tribal Museum Model, the Information and Research Centre Model and the Economic Development Model.

The Tribal Museum Model aims to collect, exhibit and preserve the cultural, linguistic, artistic and historical record through activities and exhibits that target the primary needs of the First Nations Community. Local support, volunteers and relevancy are essential components of this type of centre. In general, the staff at such institutions are locally-trained experts, rather than academics with professional museum training and business management skills. An example of a tribal museum is the Kwaguilth Museum at Cape Mudge on Quadra Island, B.C. The centre was opened in 1979 when a collection of ceremonial regalia, called the Potlatch Collection, was returned to the Kwak'wala people. In addition to exhibit space, the facility hosts a gift shop, library, offices, secure storage and workshop areas. Membership in the organization is closely tied to the community's kinship system in an attempt to adhere to old tradition, a decision that has created hurdles for the centre.

First Nations cultural centres are largely supported by government grant programs such as the Canadian Museums Assistance Program (MAP), but like any government funding program there are strict rules and regulations to follow and the Kwaguilth Museum's traditional approach often does not fit into these guidelines.

The Kwaguilth Museum is currently closed due to funding restrictions but is working to raise enough money to re-open, upgrade and renovate the facility. When asked if they would change their approach in order to guarantee funding, a member of the museum board commented: "We need to stay true to who we are and do things in an appropriate manner. Our work is not about self-sustainability and business. It is about cultural restoration and we are not able to focus on restoration when we are forced into the museum business."

While financial instability and staff turnover are an ongoing concern with tribal museums, the benefits of such a model are that the centre supports cultural restoration, provides a place for the community to gather and share while simultaneously building a positive First Nations identity.

The Information and Research Centre Model aims for the preservation and survival of all cultural materials. Activities are geared towards First Nations and non-First Nations visitors alike with the goal of demonstrating that contemporary indigenous culture is very much alive. Staff work to accumulate and display cultural material including repatriated artifacts, ceremonial clothing, oral histories, photographs and other documents. This information is very important for the local community and also provides an outlet for maintaining financial stability in the form of tourist dollars.

Unfortunately, the need to orient programming towards non-First Nations visitors means that the centre is not at the exclusive disposal of its local community. The U'mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay is an example of such a model. U'mista is located off the northern tip of Vancouver Island on Comorant Island and opened in 1980 to house the same repatriated Potlatch Collection as the Kwaguilth Museum. It is a non-profit society that works to ensure the cultural survival of all aspects of the Kwakwaka'wakw people through exhibits, programming and research that falls into three headings: ethnobotany, genealogy and language.

However, while U'mista began as a meeting place for local community members, the centre's management has become controversial. Some feel that staff efforts have been directed at tourist needs and the exhibit area turned into a commercial gallery. This focus has distracted from U'mista's original mandate of preserving and fostering First Nations culture. That said, the centre regularly collaborates with key museums across B.C. and Canada, including the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, the Museum of Anthropology and the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This collaboration and dedication to academic research has enabled financial success and stability. Currently, the centre has plans for expansion and development to enhance work areas, exhibit space, security and storage.

Former Executive Director Gloria Webster has some sound advice for other First Nations looking to develop a cultural centre: "A successful centre needs community involvement and support, which depends largely on the response of the centre to community needs."

She also recommends having programs for the community, staff that is recognized for their expertise, well-developed policies, procedures and a business plan, as well as a clear idea of why the centre is needed. Good advice for Whistler.

The last type of cultural centre is the Economic Development Model, as exemplified by the X a:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre in Mission, B.C. This kind of cultural centre is not meant to act as a museum for the First Nations band; rather it provides cultural programming to educate First Nations and non-First Nations visitors alike in the form of exhibits, displays and hands-on, interactive activities. Staff at the centre are well educated, most having a post-secondary degree with senior programmers usually having an MA, in order to provide a quality, hospitality-driven visitor experience. Additionally, facilities at the centre are carefully developed with attention to detail and visitor needs.

The X a:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre is situated on 18 acres of land hosting a stratified archaeological site with evidence of occupation dating back 11,000 years. The centre was developed in 1993 and includes exhibit space, a gift shop, classrooms, and exterior display areas. The centre is community driven, combining cultural preservation with cultural tourism, although Sonny McHalsie, the Stó:lo Nation's Cultural Advisor, warns: "There is a problem when you address tourists and focus on the financial success of a site as the important cultural aspects get shuffled to the side."

Overall, the centre has worked to raise cultural awareness while providing economic opportunities for the Stó:lo people, although financial self-sufficiency is still a dream.

According to Sharon Fortney, a consultant with the Department of Canadian Heritage, the strength of this kind of model is that it appeals to a broad community, not just the local aboriginal one, thus creating a larger support base to draw upon. In addition, visitors, whether they are from the local community or are tourists, benefit from the types of workshops and programs offered while the use of interpretive material alleviates the need for museum-standard environmental controls and collections management expertise. However, as with the Information and Research Centre, this model does not provide a place for First Nations people to meet and gather.

Hence, we return to Whistler. What model will Whistler's cultural centre follow? The main stakeholders in the project are the Squamish and Lil'wat people who signed a Nation-to-Nation protocol in 2001, the first of its kind in Canada, designed to foster cultural and economic activities of a common interest. According to building architect Alfred Waugh of Waugh and Busby Architects, the centre will be "a celebration of both nations getting together," while also working to enrich the cultural mix of what Whistler has to offer. Developers feel that Whistler's economic success will lend economic success to the project, which will in turn allow the First Nations to contribute to B.C.'s economy. It cannot be ignored either that the centre also contributed to the Vancouver-Whistler desire to include First Nations in the Olympic bid.

The project budget now sits at $15 million, with plans to include a theatre, arts and crafts exhibition, gift shop, restaurant, storytelling area, ethnobotanical garden and outdoor trails. Architectural plans have already been drafted with the final building projected to be 45,000 square feet, including space for 11 employee-housing units. Construction is slated to begin this coming summer, but a Vancouver museum director recently expressed a concern that the project was based solely on physical design plans. A successful cultural institution of any kind must be based on theory, principles and a strong vision. First Nations must be given the opportunity to clearly articulate how and why they want the centre to operate, otherwise, who knows?

Whistler's history often begins with Myrtle Philip, when clearly there was much activity in the valley long before the pioneers arrived. In the past, the community has strayed from dealing directly with local First Nations, perhaps due to trepidation of cross-cultural communication or fear of the political quagmire of land claims. However, this can't go on forever. It is high time to embrace our neighbours to the north and south, who were our predecessors as residents and visitors in the valley. A First Nations cultural centre in Whistler may be the best answer yet.

As for what model it will follow, I suspect like so many other things in our community, Whistler's cultural centre will follow its own path.



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