Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
A picture of part of the residential schools exhibit in the new Royal Alberta Museum. Photo retrieved from: https://www.folio.ca/royal-alberta-museums-residential-schools-exhibit-tells-the-story-of-canada/
Recently, the Royal Alberta Museum re-opened as the biggest museum in Western Canada. Personally, I was looking forward to was seeing how the new museum would treat Indigenous history and cultural artifacts and how Indigenous people’s place in Alberta history would be considered and represented.
The Royal Alberta Museum is honouring Indigenous culture and history in a number of ways, which were decided upon over the course of its 4-year closure and move. During this process, museum staff worked with a 24-member Indigenous Content Advisory Panel as well as Indigenous communities to assess how Indigenous history, culture, and art would be integrated into the new museum.[1] Now that it is open, there is not just one or two Indigenous exhibits -- on the contrary, “almost half” of the 150 exhibits in the museum are either solely about Indigenous history or are thematically-related. [2]
For example, an exhibit on the museum’s main floor centers on the history of residential schools. The exhibit was curated by Indigenous artist and University of Alberta associate professor Tanya Harnett, who is also a member of the aforementioned Indigenous content advisory panel. In a University of Alberta news article, Ms. Harnett relayed that “it was hard to balance not re-traumatizing former residential school students and their intergenerational descendants, while ensuring the exhibit conveyed the realities of residential schools to those who may not know much about them.”[3] The exhibit, which is partially enclosed to allow warnings for its sensitive content, includes stories of survivors, art, and powerful artifacts. This includes toys and a traditional beaded shirt juxtaposed against bricks, and a (replica) ledger recording the “Indian name,” “White name,” entrance date and death.[4] Another element of the exhibit is a video which features TRC Commissioner Justice Murray Sinclair discussing the TRC, and Cindy Blackstock speaking out against the ongoing and extremely destitute circumstances of the many Indigenous children still in government care. This element allows exhibit viewers to understand that the legacy of residential schools endures. [5]
Another way the museum is honouring Indigenous contributions to Alberta’s history, and working towards reconciliation, is mandating that Indigenous guests can attend the museum without charge.[6] It is the government’s way of balancing the fact that the Edmonton museum is situated on Treaty 6 territory, and that many of the stories presented within its walls are Indigenous. For example, when walking into the museum, there is a welcoming statement -- first in 13 different Indigenous languages, and then English and French. [7]
The Royal Alberta Museum’s efforts in working with Indigenous advocates and stakeholders, and reaching out to communities directly, are allowing the museum’s stories to be inclusive of all who live on Alberta’s lands, and shed some much needed light on the true history of Indigenous people, their culture and art, and their stories.
Until next time,
Team ReconciliAction YEG
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[1] Government of Alberta, Media Release, 26 Sept 2018, online: <www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=60695E6449912-C6A9-3824-99951A318AED180D>.
[2] Ibid.
[3]Jordan Mae Cook, “Royal Alberta Museum’s Residential Schools Exhibit Tells the ‘Story of Canada’”, University of Alberta Folio (12 Oct 2018), online: <www.folio.ca/royal-alberta-museums-residential-schools-exhibit-tells-the-story-of-canada/>.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Kirby Bourne, “Free admission one way Royal Alberta Museum will honour Indigenous people”, Global News (28 Sept 2018), online: <globalnews.ca/news/4497155/free-admission-one-way-new-royal-alberta-museum-will-honour-indigenous-people/>.
[7] Ibid.
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