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This has disappointed the local Fraser Canyon 4 First Nations, who say they were consulted before their artifacts were moved.
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“We are concerned that those living and sacred objects may break and deteriorate anywhere they are stored,” read a letter signed by the First Nations chiefs of Yale, Spuzzum, Boston Bar and Chahawathil.
“To put the works of our ancestors in wooden sheds or garage boxes is to bury them out of sight, which was not the purpose of our peoples when we lent them. “
The District Historical Society and Yale have controlled the small for four decades, but recently lost a bid to a Gibsons organization, the Forager Foundation, for a five-year contract to manage the Array.
In a letter to First Nations, the company said the province had sent a letter asking it to “remove all pieces of non-provincial property from May 1. “
That is what the corporate did, storing the pieces in sheds and containers.
Spuzzum First Nation Chief James Hobart at an assembly in Vancouver when he got in touch Tuesday.
“I’m right now in (members of) one of the First Nations, the Chahawathil First Nation,” he said.
“They were in the assembly we had and said that those baskets and everything in them reflects our ancestors. They have to be in the air, they can’t be stuffed into a box somewhere, or a container or a shed. Because they are made of cedar, rodents can do it.
“They need their story told, and it can’t be told behind closed doors or in the dark. “
Hobart also said the company got rid of one of the area’s icons, the Peace Piano, which helped save the standoff between First Nations and white miners during the Fraser River Gold Rush in 1858.
“It’s a harmonious tool,” Hobart said.
Hobart has a connection with the Peace Piano.
“I had an uncle who died in 1981 (on) New Year’s Eve,” he said.
“I did everything I loved, betting ragtime. We think it can sound like the New Year with history and things like that in a big event. “
“Now they took him out and locked him in a shed somewhere. How does this treat our history with respect? »
Bryce Matthew Watts of Forager planned to move to Yale to manage the site this summer, but on Tuesday in Victoria to talk to the province about what to do.
Unfortunately, (the Yale historic site) is empty right now,” Watts said.
“But we had productive dialogues with local First Nations and the previous company, as well as other stakeholders. Hopefully we’ll make progress there. “
“We are still executing through the discussion procedure and working with the government and others to determine what the most productive course of action is. “
In a statement, the province said that by asking the company to remove “movable property” from Yale’s heritage site, it “refers to heritage artifacts. “
“Heritage artifacts, adding indigenous cultural assets, deserve to remain in provincial heritage assets,” he said.
“As part of the transition process, the province will work with the Forager Foundation and affected First Nations to ensure the safe movement of heritage artifacts, adding those of ancient and cultural significance to the Indigenous community, adding the potential repatriation of certain artifacts.
“First Nations are very willing to engage and look towards a positive and collaborative outcome.
jmackie@postmedia. com
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