Yale Historic Site ceremony celebrates return of Indigenous artifacts

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It was an emotional morning for those in attendance Dec. 16 at the Yale Historic Site to celebrate the return and viewing of Indigenous artifacts at the museum.

Tears flowed freely during the Basket and Bannock event as Elders, chiefs, members and guests spoke at length about the Indigenous artifacts – including many baskets – and shared stories about their importance to their communities.

Kemone Moodley / Hope Standard photo

The ceremony was hosted by Forager Foundation in partnership with the New Pathways to Gold Society, and led by Elders and Knowledge Keepers from the First Nation communities involved with the museum.

“I want to thank everyone for their strong stories,” said Yale First Nation Chief Troy Peters. “These stories bring me strength. Our family trees are very strong. And as new leadership we’re trying to bring culture back to our community. It’s going to take a lot of hard work.

“And today, I feel really good because I’m part of something that I can bring back to my nation and teach them. And tell the strong stories that you guys all shared. And the work that everyone here is doing, I think that’s great.”

It was an emotional morning for those in attendance, on Saturday (Dec. 16), at the Yale Historic Site (YHS) to celebrate the return and viewing of Indigenous artifacts at the museum. Kemone Moodley/Hope Standard photos

During the opening ceremony, which included drumming, singing and live basket-weaving demonstrations, people spoke about the craft of basketry and its long history in the area, and shared stories about their family and community.

Attending were members from: Yale, Spuzzum, Boston Bar, Lytton and Chawathil First Nations, representatives from BC Heritage Branch and visitors.

According to Bryce Watts, founder of Forager Foundation, the event was both a celebration of Indigenous heritage at Yale Historic Site and a gathering of “generations, wisdom and traditions.”

The event was also, “one of the many steps in the ongoing development of the Yale Museum, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous perspectives in our historical narrative.”

“Basketry was brought back (to the historic site) in the summer. The future of where it’s going to go is part of today’s process as well,” Watts said. “We’re hoping that people will see the good intentions for kind of showcasing those stories here. And with all the Elders in attendance, it would be really nice to see if people’s personal connections with particular objects are there. Or if they can give us more information of who made them or what styles are from which community, so we have a better idea of the backstory for them.”

Watts said that the museum’s long-term goal is to build an Indigenous-specific gallery space — one that works with the existing objects at Yale and allows new artists to come in and showcase their work. The project, he said, will be dependent on what the First Nation communities, who own the current Indigenous artifacts (and who have given the museum permission to borrow them/house them for the time being), want for their objects.

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