Vernon museum to become more inclusive to Indigenous history

The Greater Vernon Museum and Archives will be getting restructured into a more inclusive and proportional representation of history in the region.

Starting with their Cultural Safety Program, the museum will be working with Sylix Elders to create new exhibits and showcase artifacts and stories from local Indigenous peoples.

"As cultural partners, we hope to foster a safe and collaborative environment that results in deeper sharing, learning and understanding with the Syilx People in the Okanagan Territory," says GMVA executive director Steve Fleck.

"The program provides training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, and anti-racism for partners in arts, culture, and heritage in the North Okanagan as they share positive information about Syilx People and participate in a process of reconciliation and future collaboration."

In its current state, the Vernon museum would be categorized as a 'colonial' museum. That will soon be subject to change when the new Indigenous exhibits start to open, and museum staff are excited to look ahead at the next chapter of inclusivity.

"We have mostly settler artifacts in our collection, and it's a top priority of our board to adopt and tell more of the local peoples' story," says Fleck. "We don't have that knowledge, but one of the first things we understood is that reconciliation needed to come first and that's why we're taking this initial step."

Fleck is looking forward to the opportunities for education on these oft-neglected issues for people in the community. When the new exhibits open, and if COVID restrictions allow it, he hopes to get school trips coming in to learn – even if that means having some tough conversations.

"I don't think we'll be able to reflect the truth without discussing the difficult issues between settlers and Indigenous peoples," says Fleck. "The museum doesn't want to portray one side or another, but rather to look at what happened objectively."