LETTER – Removing ‘settler’ displays from Royal B.C. Museum is just wrong
Wednesday (Nov. 3) the Royal B.C. Museum decided to close, and in effect wipe out, an entire part of B.C.’s history (https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/rbcm-closing-3rd-floor-for-adecolonizationa-effort-that-will-remove-old-town-settler-displays-ship-4719972) … I for one completely disagree with this decision.
Wiping out the displays of the 3rd floor at the museum will not erase the past, nor will it change the injustices done to First Nations People.
What will the next “decolonization” effort look like?
Are we going to close Barkerville? Fort Steele? Fort McLeod? Fort Langley? And hundreds of other historic sites and local community museums?
We should not pretend our history didn’t happen, which is what removing the exhibits will do. Instead we need to weave in the culture of our Indigenous peoples, and share the wrongs done.
“Interim” CEO of the Royal B.C. Museum, Daniel Muzyka, might think he can pretend our history didn’t happen …but it did.
Put an end to this ridiculous plan, because it’s just wrong.
ALAN FORSETH
Agreed. The entire history of BC was written by white men. Outside of legends and other oral “records” there are no histories of bC.
I agree with you on this one Al.
Mel …mark this date on the calendar. 😀