BCMA Gathering 2023

Schedule

 Haida Gwaii  |   September 25 – 28, 2023

It’s our great pleasure to announce that the BCMA’s 2023 gathering will take place in person during the week of September 25 – 28, 2023!

The BCMA community has been invited by our colleagues at Saahlinda Naay Haida Gwaii Museum and the Haida Heritage Centre to join them for three days of learning on the land, connecting with each other, and exploring our collective work, impact, and responsibilities. Our Haida colleagues have done some translations for us when possible, and you’ll see XAAD KÍL and XAAYDA KIL throughout the schedule.

 

Below is an outline of activities. More information will be added as it is confirmed. This outline is subject to change.

Sunday, September 24

Sunday, September 24: Early-Bird Day

9:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Place-Based Learning Opportunity: Plant Walk at GuulhGa Siiwaay Spirit Lake

On this plant walk with Gaajiiaawa Linda Tollas xíl sḵ’at’a eehl Linda Tollas isdaalsaang / Gaajiiaawa ad hla xilgiikaa you will be guided through the temperate rainforest and learn how the Haida harvested plants and trees. Explore the sights, sounds and smells of the forest and immerse yourself in the lush surroundings. The trail is located in Skidegate and is considered moderate, with two steep sections, but otherwise manageable for most fitness levels and with the appropriate footwear. The group will follow an easy pace with many stops along the way. The walk will be 2 – 2.5 hours depending on the speed of the group. A shuttle will be arranged for participants between their accommodations and the trailhead, then back to their accommodations.

Monday, September 25

Gina ‘waadluxan gud ad kwaagiida. Interconnectedness.

Monday, September 25: Pre-Gathering Day

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Pre-conference workshops (fee based)

Pre-Gathering Workshop

gud ahl hlG̱anggulaa / Gud ad hlGang.gulXa / Working Together

The Saahlinda Naay Haida Gwaii Museum and Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) have teamed up to deliver an introductory workshop on the care of three types of Haida belongings: Naaxiin (Chilkat) robes, giixiidawaay (rattles), as well as Kayd hll.ngaay skayxan and kayd hll.ngaay daajing (cedar and spruce root woven hats and baskets). The workshop, divided into modules focused on each type of belonging, offers the opportunity to learn directly from Haida participants and museum staff and CCI conservators. Using belongings from the Saahlinda Naay collection and didactic materials, and through group discussion and hands-on activities, attendees will learn:

  • how each type of belonging is made,
  • its significance and use,
  • the vulnerabilities of the materials and structures to agents of change,
  • culturally specific collections care and protocols, and
  • preventive conservation measures.

Haida participants include:  Kuujuhl Evelyn Vanderhoop, Jaad Tl’aaw Paula Varnell, Iljuuwas Tyson Brown, and Aay Aay Gidins

 

Pre-Gathering Workshop

Reassessing your Governance with Confidence with the Canadian Museums Association / Ḵajáa G̱ideed eehl gudangee ‘laa t’alang gudaang

Join Rebecca and Stephanie from the Canadian Museums Association as they help you become a facilitator of the ‘Reassessing Your Governance’ toolkit. This workshop will help you feel confident in delivering the Reassessing Governance discussion session within your organization’s leadership team and be ready to support conversations about change with your organization. The CMA team will guide you through the topics and provide troubleshooting tips that will help you engage your leadership team with the material in a meaningful way.

 

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

West Coast Adventure – SOLD OUT

Join us for an adventure you won’t forget. This exclusive boat tour xál tlúu isdaasaang / Tllwaay guu xaal Kaadii for attendees of the 2023 BCMA gathering in Haida Gwaii will take you west from Daajing Giids through the Skidegate Narrows, scanning the shorelines for taan (black bear). With options to disembark from the boat at Jiina.nga Gandlaay (Government Creek) to explore old growth, check for Tufted Puffins at Marble Island, and visit the Haida village of Ts’aahl. Our tour operator Haida Style Expeditions takes guests out into Gwaii Haanas and beyond on two 30-foot closed-cabin landing craft and catamaran tour vessels. In addition to visiting Haida cultural sites, we will get out of the boat midday for a traditional Haida feast on land, for local salmon and stories. The trip also includes guides from the community who will share their ecological and cultural knowledge with you.

3:00 PM onwards

Haida Gwaii Museum Tours

Museum tour sponsored by Eos Lightmedia

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Early bird evening social / kunaasd G̱iihlgii hálaang

Join Haida Gwaii Museum staff, the BCMA team, speakers, and attendees in a casual setting and share what you’re most looking forward to at the Gathering. There will be sweet and savoury finger food.

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House

Tuesday, September 26

Isda ad diigii isda. Giving and Receiving.

Tuesday, September 26

11:00 – 11:30 am

Delegates arrive / ḵaatl’aasaang / Kaa Gantl’lxas

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House

11:30 – 12:30 pm

Food burning and ceremony / ts’aamuuwee G̱ii taawée sasa hl isdii / Ga taa Guuda guu aahljuu

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House and outside

12:30 – 1:30 pm

Refreshments and coffee / taawee tsuujuu isgyaan xaaw dagwiiyaas / Ga taa K’ad.dala ad hlGaahlts’indaal

Location: Kay Bistro, Ga Taa Naay – Eating House

Thanks to the Great Northern Way Scene Shop for sponsoring this coffee break!

1:30 – 2:30 pm

Welcome and opening / t’alang ḵáatl’aas isgyaan sanghlgang guusuu / Haawa id ad dalang isis ad sing.Ga suu

Opening prayer, and welcome from BCMA, Saahlinda Naay Haida Gwaii Museum and the Haida Heritage Centre.

The gathering will start with a discussion of Haida Ways of Being to ground the event in shared reflection.

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

2:30 – 3:00 pm

Stretch break

3:00 – 4:30 pm

Discussion in Circle: From object-based to story-based /  gin G̱ideed gu gyaahlangée G̱idee íijang / Gina sda gwii giihlGalang

Museums and cultural institutions can be anything they want, we hope they choose something good. Join us for our opening discussion centered around the gathering theme “Kil ‘lĂĄa – Kind Words”. We will come together in a circle and talk about what it means to us to be good people – in our work and in our lives. Effective museums can create change. What do we want our visitors to feel when they come through our doors? What message do we want to send to children? What kinds of community do we want to create?

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

4:30 – 5:30 pm

Break – Parallel Activities
Meet the Funders / gyáa sG̱áw ‘ll is’waang / Hala gya sGaw guu kaajiigid

Chat with representatives from BC Arts Council, First Peoples’ Cultural Council, and Canadian Heritage.

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House

Artist Market / gin x̱aadee ‘waadaa née / Stllnll ‘Waadxa Daanay

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House

5:30 – 7:00 pm

Casual dinner / Sángyaas taawee / singxii ga taagaay

Attendees will be able to take food to the lawn/beach and there will be a fire outside if weather permits.

Location: Kay Bistro, Ga Taa Naay – Eating House

Thanks to the BCGEU for sponsoring this dinner!

7:00 – 8:30 pm

Haida Nation welcome

Attendees will return from dinner for remarks and ceremony, with opportunities to listen to local knowledge holders.

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

Wednesday, September 27

‘Laa guu ga kanhllns. On Your Chest, Responsibility.

Wednesday, September 27

8:30 – 9:00 am

Morning Coffee
Speaking kindly and listening thoughtfully /  Kíl ‘laas isgyaan damaan gahl gyúusdaa.uu / Kil ‘laa ad gyuusda ‘laa

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House & Kay Bistro, Ga Taa Naay – Eating House

9:00 – 9:30 am

Haida language lesson / X̱aad Kil sḵ’adaas / Kilang Sk‘aadGada 

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

9:30 – 11:00 am

Parallel sessions

Delegates will select one session to attend.

Session A

Getting your house in order  / Née angaa hl tla skunii / Gina ‘waadluxan ging hgaaysdll

Member-submitted stories from:

Sts’ailes Baskets and the Journey Home

Sts’ailes & Kilby Historic Site

Chelsea Brown and Stephanie Leon Reidl will tell the story of the recent journey to repatriate 29 sa:letel (baskets) from the Province of BC to the Sts’ailes First Nation. The process took five years of work and represented the first time that any cultural belongings were repatriated from any BC Provincial Heritage Property. It involved collaboration up to the provincial level to re-write policy and between the Kilby Historic Site and the Sts’ailes Nation to negotiate logistics.

 

Witness, Memory, and Archives: Writing the Silence and Righting Community Histories

South Asian Canadian Digital Archive – University of the Fraser Valley

Thamilini Jothilingam and Alisa Sohi share about the South Asian Canadian Digital Archive (SACDA), a story of listening to the silence, writing the silence, and righting community histories. SACDA is an initiative of the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley that documents the history and heritage of the South Asian diaspora in Canada. The session will explore the ways in which SACDA uses digital archives as an open collaborative tool for documenting, preserving, and sharing knowledge resources and reclaiming South Asian Canadian community histories that are silenced, sidelined, and erased from the Canadian historical record.

 

Learning through new understandings

Burnaby Art Gallery & Taajuu Consulting

Between 2004-2015, Burnaby Art Gallery was gifted several serigraphs featuring artists such as lessLie, Johnny Maynard Jr, Susan Point, and so many more to be activated through our Education Collection. In 2021, the programs team started a journey to rethink how we share these works. Briana Sadler shares this journey including a cultural review with Taajuu Consulting of past programs to identify issues and suggest changes; recording other voices to contribute to the programs, bringing outside knowledge; ongoing referral process in progress to establish relationships with the nations of Burnaby. BAG is a municipal public art gallery which brings unique challenges and expectations to the process.

 

Everyone Belongs in Nature (?): Growing Inclusivity Conversations

Stephanie Chong and Sarah Board

Is your organization “stuck” on how to be more inclusive? As part of Ocean Week Canada, Stephanie Chong (Experiential Learning Specialist) and Sarah Board (Maritime Museum of BC) facilitated a pilot workshop on inclusivity and the outdoors as an effort to introduce our local communities to recognizing barriers to access. Despite the important mental and physical health benefits to spending time outside, obstacles such as stairs, tree roots, uneven terrain, societal expectations (or limitations), and negative self-talk are not often not recognized as significant hurdles for those with diverse physical abilities. Join them as they reflect on their experiences running this workshop and consider how you can apply their knowledge and experiences in the context of your own organizations.

 

Own the Past, Build the Future

Museum of Surrey

On July 18, 2017 Museum of Surrey hosted a ceremony to apologize for past wrongs done by the museum and City of Surrey towards Semiahmoo First Nation specifically, and Indigenous People as a whole. Roxanne Charles (Semiahmoo First Nation) and Lynn Saffery (Museum of Surrey) come together to share this story of reconciliation, building relationships, and co-opting the destructive power of colonialism. Through examples they will show how it is possible to repair relationships and build a promising future by acknowledging our past with humbleness and transparency, and taking cooperative action in the present.

 

Location: Bill Reid Teaching Centre, Yaahl SGwaansing Naay – Solitary Raven House

Thanks to Culturescape for sponsoring this session!

Session B

Trauma Informed Practice: Meeting People Where They Are / Iitl’ tl’a x̱iid / Ngaaysdll t’alang SK‘aadGa diiga: tl’l ‘Waadluxan ngaaysdll giitllGad

Join this intimate session led by skilled local facilitators to learn some hands-on methods about engaging with difficult subjects, addressing traumatic histories, and meeting collaborators, partners, staff and visitors with kindness and respect. Trauma-informed practice emphasises physical, psychological, and emotional safety for everyone, and creates opportunities for survivors to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment.

With Michaela McGuire, Darryl Harsch, and Erika Stocker

Location: Taa Sk’aadGa Daanaay 1 – Classroom 1

Session C

Turning Policies into Protocols/  kílang eehl hl hlG̱anggulaa / Kil GuhlGagang tllGuhlGa Gii uu gina

Policies are important to be regularly updated and used as a method of organizational stability. But there is equal importance in pulling the spirit of those policies into how we do our work as cultural institutions. Join our panelists in a conversation on how to strike a balance between policies and practice, and keep these documents adaptable to ensure they stay true to their intent.

With Haida Gwaii Museum team, Janis KahentĂłktha Monture, Canadian Museums Association, Joshua Seymour, Lheidli T’enneh First Nation & The Exploration Place, and Brandie Macdonald, Indiana University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

11:00 – 11:30 am

Break

11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Parallel sessions

Delegates will select one session to attend.

Session A

RepatriAction! /  tla yahda / Tllyahda

Haida Gwaii-based K’yuu Enterprises and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) are presently
engaged in a Repatriation Scoping Study and Cost Analysis. This analysis will furnish essential
benchmark data and evidence to endorse FPCC and BC First Nations' endeavors in achieving
recognition and securing long-term, sustainable funding for the repatriation and safeguarding
of Ancestors and Belongings. Come and learn about the process and preliminary findings and
prepare to roll up your sleeves to test out the draft Repatriation Report Card that K’yuu is
developing!

Knowledge exchange with Sdahl ណ’awaas Lucy Bell and Kil Hltaanawaay Tayler Brown

Location: Bill Reid Teaching Centre, Yaahl SGwaansing Naay – Solitary Raven House

Session B

Community Resilience – How Cultural Organizations Can Support the Well-Being of Lands, Waters, and People / gin’waadluwaan gud ahl kwaagiidang / Gina ‘Waadluxan gud ad Kwaagid

Community forum style event with a talk followed by facilitated discussion and breakout groups. This summer the United Nations warned that the age of global warming is ending and we are entering a time of “global boiling.” This new era will lead to increased food insecurity, strain on our power grids, even more unpredictable weather events, and consequences we are only beginning to fully grasp. While the scope of the challenges ahead of us may feel overwhelming, museums, galleries, historic sites, and cultural heritage institutions have played an important role in contributing to community climate resilience. In this session, join the Haida Gwaii Museum, their local partner, Swiilawiid Sustainability Society, and other cultural professionals supporting climate action and food security in their communities. Participants will have a chance to connect with Haida sustainability and climate champions, and learn more about how values such as responsibility, interconnectedness and reciprocity can become the foundation of not just one’s personal life but one’s professional life, too.

Knowledge exchange with Valine Brown & Savannah Pelletier, Swiilawiid Society, Gaad Gas Raven Ryland, Haida Gwaii Museum’s Hlk’yak’ii program, and Chris Mathieson, Old Grist Mill

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

1:00 – 2:00 pm

Parallel Activities
Lunch

Location: Kay Bistro, Ga Taa Naay – Eating House

Thanks to the University of Victoria’s Cultural Resource Management Program for sponsoring this lunch!

IBPOC Network Tea & Talk

The IBPOC Network’s Tea and Talk session is an accountable space for those who identify as IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour) museum, heritage, and cultural professionals to share their thoughts and experiences with one another. Learn more here.

Please note: This session is specifically for Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour and we ask white allies to respect this affinity space.

Location: Taa Sk’aadGa Daanaay 1 – Classroom 1

2:00 – 2:30 pm

Parallel Activities
BCMA Annual General Meeting

BCMA members in good standing are invited to the Association’s annual general meeting. Join BCMA Council and staff to learn what we have been up to the last 12 months and where we’re going in the next 12.

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

Register here.

Art-making activity / ta k’udlánsaang / Stllnll hla tllGuhlGa

With the Haida Gwaii Museum & Surrey Art Gallery

Location: Haida Heritage Centre

Meet the Funders /  gyáa sG̱áw ‘ll is’waang / Hala gya sGaw guu kaajiigid

Chat with representatives from BC Arts Council, First Peoples’ Cultural Council, and Canadian Heritage.

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House

2:30 – 4:00 pm

Discussion in circle: T’alang ‘waadluxan – You’re Messing With Our Lives

A discussion of the human impact of museums – This session will focus on how the work of museums and cultural institutions is felt by communities and individuals. It will serve as a reminder that our collective work, while often based in things that happened in the past, is very relevant and sometimes harmful in the present. Hear from Indigenous representatives from across BC about their take before engaging in a discussion as a group.

With Jisgang Nika Collison, Haida Gwaii Museum, Juanita Johnston, U’mista Cultural Centre, and c̓ris Jordan Coble, Westbank First Nation

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

4:30 – 5:00 pm

Break

5:00 – 6:30 pm

Short Film Festival
All Our Father’s Relations (ç„–æ č父脈)
This film tells the story of the Grant siblings who journey from Vancouver to China in an attempt to rediscover their father’s roots and better understand his fractured relationship with their Musqueam mother. Raised primarily in the traditions of the Musqueam people, the Grant family and their story reveals the shared struggles of migrants and Indigenous peoples today and in the past.

Sarah Ling of the Chinese Canadian Museum, involved in the film, will be in attendance to provide background and answer any questions.

Hlk’yak’ii: To Start a Fire – Episode 3: SG̱iwdaang: To Harvest Seaweed & Episode 4: TsĂ­in KyĂĄandaang: To Can Salmon

These two films feature Xuunad Cooper Wilson sharing about seaweed harvesting and Skil Kaat’laas Reg Davidson sharing how to can salmon. The vision of Hlk’yak’ii: To Start A Fire is to facilitate and promote sovereign and sustainable solutions to energy independence and human resilience in the face of climate change. This focus on resilience and sovereignty is at the heart of our virtual programming – which will highlight the importance of food sovereignty here on Haida Gwaii to help lower our climate footprint and increase our sense of community. To support the programming of the Hlk’yak’ii: To Start a Fire exhibition, Haida Gwaii Museum and Swiilawiid Sustainability Society are featuring five episodes on Haida Independence and Sustainability, by InnoNative, two of which will be shown this evening.

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

Refreshments will be available for purchase

6:30 pm

Dinner on your own

Looking for dinner options near your accommodations? Check out the Go Haida Gwaii’s Food & Drink Page, and filter the options by community. Don’t forget to call ahead and check their hours for the shoulder season!

Thursday, September 28

Gyuu juu hla. Listen.

Thursday, September 28

8:30 – 9:00 am

Morning Coffee
Speaking kindly and listening thoughtfully  / Kíl ‘laas isgyaan damaan gahl gyúusdaa.uu /  Kil ‘laa ad gyuusda ‘laa

Locations: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House & Kay Bistro, Ga Taa Naay – Eating House

9:00 – 9:30 am

Haida language lesson / X̱aad Kil sḵ’adaas / Kilang Sk‘aadGada 

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

9:30 – 11:00 am

Parallel sessions

Delegates will select one session to attend.

Session A

Heritage Paradigm Shift

Reenvisioning communities and inclusion – This roundtable is structured around a set of questions critical to the topic of a heritage paradigm shift. It starts with a brief context of why and what work has been envisioned to date by the panelists individually and collectively, and with working definitions of concepts such as ‘complex community’. Building on this thinking, the panelists discuss how we develop a paradigm shift to reframe and reposition working with complex communities of diverse backgrounds and heritage histories. This dialogue explores the possibilities of creative IBPOC community agency, an absolute call for creation of safe spaces and responsively meaningful engagements, and the movement towards intercultural alliance building.

With Sdahl ណ’awaas Lucy Bell, Dr. Satwinder Bains, South Asian Studies Institute, University of the Fraser Valley, Dr. Tzu-I Chung, Royal BC Museum, and Sherri Kajiwara, Nikkei National Museum

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

Thanks to Lucidea for sponsoring this session!

Session B

Existing Differently /  x̱iingangaa iláa gyaahlangee / Ad K‘al.ad xaaynang.nga

Member-submitted stories from:

Old Town, New Queens: Hosting a Drag Show at a Rural Museum

Britannia Mine Museum

Learn how Britannia Mine Museum engaged the BC drag artists and the local pride collective to create Britannia Beach’s first-ever pride event: Old Town, New Queens. Event organizer and emcee Derek A. Jang will share tips, tricks and troubleshooting advice for creating a museum pride event that meets the needs of community stakeholders and your site’s interpretive story. You will also get to enjoy photos and video footage of drag queens, drag kings and non-binary drag superstars performing inside a 100-year-old copper concentrator.

 

Two-Eyed Seeing within Kelowna Museums, School District 23, and the Syilx Community

Kelowna Museums

Kelowna Museums is involved in the UBC Okanagan’s Co-Curricular Making research project which centers around Indigenizing SD23. The goal is to broaden awareness around Syilx ways of knowing using school and community. This story focuses on the integral role that museums play in community education and how it can be used to further truth and reconciliation across the nation. Alana Kishi Buffalo Firedancer will weave an engaging narrative through both the student’s and teacher’s eyes in their museum. Threaded throughout is decolonial rhetoric that focuses on education reform, especially in the museum industry, showcasing how museums can affect change far outside of their outdated walls.

 

Transformational Digital Landscapes for Community Spaces

Beaty Biodiversity Museum

The Musqueam First Nation partnered with the Beaty Biodiversity Museum to explore the complex web of knowledge around the making and use of a sturgeon harpoon. What emerged was a digital museum experience which immersed viewers in a space where Indigenous knowledge and scientific classification met in dialogue. This asset is now being adapted in the daycare space at Musqueam for a younger age group with community-specific knowledge in a non-public deployment. What is the potential for an exhibit developed by the community for the community? How can the outcome be a living resource for Musqueam that provides long-term benefits? Join Derek Tan & Evan Craig to learn more!

 

The Way Forward for a Shared Museum Facility

Haisla Nation & Kitimat Museum

Kitimat Museum & Archives has completed a Feasibility Study for a new shared museum facility for the Haisla Nation and District of Kitimat. Our journey is the story, but the way forward is taking what has been learned and finding ways and means to create a unique facility that serves the people of the area. The future museum will have space to present Indigenous and non-Indigenous history and heritage in a blended and truthful way. There are difficult stories to share and challenges ahead in working together on the expansion and change of the existing Museum. Work has already begun in many of the Museum’s operations and governance. Join Arthur Renwick and Louise Avery to learn more!

 

Breaking Barriers for Systemic Change: Stories to Celebrate from the Indigenous Internship Program

Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia

Launched in February 2020, the Indigenous Internship Program has been developed and is directed by an Indigenous-majority collective who are deeply committed to creating inclusive and transformative training opportunities in cultural heritage management. Six Indigenous partners: Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, Haida Gwaii Museum, U’mista Cultural Society, Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council, and Coqualeeetza Cultural Society worked with the Museum of Anthropology to create this program and continue to shape its development. We are working to address the critical underrepresentation of Indigenous people working in museums and to support Indigenous peoples in working on self-determined heritage initiatives in community. Join Sarah E. Holland, Haleigh Lamarche and Jenna Bower to learn more!

 

Location: Bill Reid Teaching Centre, Yaahl SGwaansing Naay – Solitary Raven House

Thanks to  Doug Munday Design for sponsoring this session!

Session C

Ginaxan – In the hands of the Ancestors /  damaan iitl’ uu kuuniisii ḵing.uu / Id Kaaniisii iitl’l Ga Kyahts’ii

Join the team from Saahlinda Naay Haida Gwaii Museum and Haida cultural leaders for a conversation on their values and their responsibilities as stewards of the community’s cultural belongings. Learn more about how the Haida view and handle the belongings in their care, what “asking first” means in their day-to-day work, and how they approach repatriation of belongings housed in the museum.

Knowledge exchange with the Haida Gwaii Museum team and Haida cultural leaders

Location: Taa Sk’aadGa Daanaay 1 – Classroom 1

 

11:00 – 11:30 am

Break

11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Parallel sessions

Delegates will select one session to attend.

Session A

Repatriation Stories / tla yahda gyaahlangee / GiiahlGalang tllyahda

Join museum professionals from Canada and beyond to hear them share about their institutions repatriation journeys.

With Aay Aay Gidins, Haida Gwaii Museum, Wilg’oosk Dustin Johnson, Gitxaala Nation, Juanita Johnston, U’mista Cultural Centre, and Bret Gaunt, Buxton Museum

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

Session B

Dismantling Silos

Where do relationship building, community connections, sustainability, and kindness fit into the work that we do? Thinking beyond the insular mindset of “museum work” or “gallery work” can make us both better at our jobs and at fulfilling institutional mandates. Join Indigenous artists from across BC and listen to them share about their unique approaches to their cultural art forms, their work and passions with an intersectional lens. We hope this conversation inspires you to consider the impacts of your own work and explore the values that you embed into it.

With Atheana Picha, Margaret August, and Nicole Mandryk

Location: Taa Sk’aadGa Daanaay 1 – Classroom 1

1:00 – 2:00 pm

Lunch

Location: Kay Bistro, Ga Taa Naay – Eating House

Thanks to the Hatlie Group for sponsoring this lunch!

2:00 – 3:30 pm

Youth-led discussion in circle: About the Future

For the last discussion of this gathering, we will let the next generation of museum and culture leaders take the floor for a frank conversation about our sector and their hopes for the future. They will leave us with their vision of a bright future so we can return to our institutions and help create it. We will talk about our responsibilities and collective power to pave the road for them.

With Gid Kuuyas & Ildagwaay, Haida Gwaii Museum, Gudangee Xahl Kil Amelia Rea, and Aliya Boubard, Bill Reid Gallery

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

3:30 – 4:00 pm

Break

4:00 – 5:30 pm

Closing story: Tla Yahda – Making it right

In an era of Reconciliation, the issue of Indigenous belongings and Ancestral remains within museums has come to the forefront. These institutions, once complicit in the colonial practice of hoarding, are now being called upon to rectify their past actions and decolonize their ideologies. Museums bear the responsibility of being accountable for their history, embracing the truth and taking steps to right colonial wrongs. Sdahl Ḵ’awaas will reflect on being a whistle-blower against racism and her advocacy to transform the museum world. She invites you to witness the concept of “tla yahda,” a Haida term that encompasses the act of making things right.

With Sdahl ណ’awaas Lucy Bell & Gudangee Xahl Kil Amelia Rea

Location: Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay – Performance House

5:30 – 9:00 pm

Goodbye social and dinner /  Sángyaas taawee / Singxii ga taagaay

Attendees will be able to take food to the lawn/beach and there will be a fire outside if weather permits.

Thanks to the Traveling Exhibition Program of the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum for sponsoring this farewell dinner!

 

Friday, September 29

Gina k’aadang.nga gii uu tl’ k’anguudang. Seeking Wise Counsel.

Friday, September 29: Post-Gathering Day

8:30 – 9:30 am

Morning Coffee
Speaking kindly and listening thoughtfully  / Kíl ‘laas isgyaan damaan gahl gyúusdaa.uu / Kil ‘laa ad gyuusda ‘laa

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House & Kay Bistro, Ga Taa Naay – Eating House

9:30 – 12:00 pm

Networking and mingling  / t’alang stawjaawsaang / T’alang saajaaw.uda

Location: Stlaay Daw Naay – Greeting House & Kay Bistro, Ga Taa Naay – Eating House

12:00pm

End of structured events / huu tlaan G̱iilgaa / Huu Haan Giida

We are grateful for the support of this year’s event sponsors:

Explore to learn more about our sponsors and stay tuned for more information about them in the lead up to the gathering!

Sponsor conference!  Contact us

The BCGEU is one of the largest and most diverse unions in British Columbia with over 85,000 members in 550 bargaining units in the public and private sector.

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Hatlie Group is a consulting firm that works with non-profit and public sector organizations to clarify strategy and direction, strengthen operations, and support effective and efficient governance practice.

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Travelling exhibitions produced by the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum provide ready-to-use historical content carefully selected by our specialists.

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CatalogIt is a comprehensive, secure, and modern platform for cataloging and managing your collections and publishing to the web to share your objects’ stories.

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The smart next stop in your career in the cultural sector. The Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Programs provide the knowledge, skills and experience needed to support your professional goals.

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Culturescape is a bilingual offering to colleagues to elevate our sector by shaping and better-supporting arts and culture management, policy and planning in Canada.

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Argus is a web-based CMS for museums of all types and sizes; present your collections and digital assets in ways that engage, intrigue, and delight visitors.

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Eos Lightmedia is a specialty design-build firm that pushes the boundaries with light and technology to transform the built environment.

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The Digital Innovation Lab, located in the state-of-the-art Ingenium Centre, is a collaborative hub for exploring innovative ways to improve access to museums spaces, collections, and experiences for all Canadians.

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Proudly Canadian owned and operated, Carr McLean has been sourcing and supplying Archival products to Customers across Canada for more than 50 years.

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FPCC is committed to providing communities with a high level of support and quality resources. Our cultural heritage and the living expression of our identities, is integral to the health of all members of our Indigenous communities, as well as to the well-being of all British Columbians.

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Interpretive planning and exhibition design

Group facilitation and collaborative project development

Project management of exhibition development, production and installation

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Does your organization have a compelling story that could be told using a digital platform?

Digital Museums Canada’s 2023 Call for Proposals is now open!

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We represent over 30 local Haida and northwest coast artists, from emerging to renowned artists, in silver and gold jewelry, argillite carvings, printmaking, beading & wood carving.

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Preserving the natural beauty and fostering the continuity of Haida culture in Gwaii Haanas would not be possible without the relationships and collaboration with partners like Saahlinda Naay Haida Gwaii Museum.

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