[BCMA] Fraser River Discovery Centre Unveils New Exhibit

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Media Release

For Immediate Release

June 5, 2012

 

Fraser River Discovery Centre unveils newest exhibit Our Bones are Made of Salmon 

with a traditional ceremony

 

New Westminster, BC – According to oral tradition, Aboriginal people have lived along and fished the Fraser River since time immemorial. On Saturday, June 23, from 1:00 to 4:30 join the Fraser River Discovery Centre as we celebrate the connection between Aboriginal people and salmon on the Fraser River with the unveiling of our newest exhibit Our Bones are Made of Salmon with a traditional Aboriginal ceremony.

 

Designed around the memories and experiences of Musqueam Elder Larry Grant and Stó:lō Cultural Advisor Dr. Sonny McHalsie, Our Bones are Made of Salmon celebrates the enduring traditions of Aboriginal salmon fishing and wind-drying in the Fraser Canyon. Visitors to the exhibit meet Larry and Sonny through a storytelling video that shares the Musqueam and Stó:lō stories of how salmon came to the Fraser River and teaches us that salmon is in the hearts of Aboriginal people living along the Fraser River. Through these stories and replicas of Aboriginal salmon fishing tools, visitors will learn about the different fishing and preservation techniques and why salmon fishing is vital to Aboriginal communities today.

 

The Unveiling Ceremony will provide guests with the opportunity to experience Aboriginal traditions and protocols, and will include a traditional performance of “first salmon” by Ts'i:eytesh Josette Jim from the Whonnock Tribe.  Aboriginal leaders and government officials will be on hand to unveil the exhibit which will include traditions to honour the work of the Advisory Committee for their contributions to this project.

 

To complement the exhibit, a Grade 4 curriculum education program has been developed that will teach students about the importance of salmon to the Aboriginal people. "Salmon has sustained West Coast First Nations for thousands of years. I am proud that our elders from the Musqueam and Stó:lō Nations have generously shared their salmon stories using the oral tradition. Passing on traditional knowledge is an important aspect of Aboriginal culture, and both students and the general public will have an opportunity to learn about the importance of salmon to First Nations living along the Fraser River", explains Bertha Lansdowne, Nuxalk Nation and New Westminster school district Aboriginal Education Coordinator.

 

Please join us on Saturday, June 23 in celebrating the completion of this exhibit. Seating is limited, so pre-registration is encouraged to info at fraserriverdiscovery.org. 

 

Our Bones are Made of Salmon was developed in partnership with Musqueam Elder Larry Grant, Stó:lō Cultural Advisor Dr. Sonny McHalsie, and New Westminster school district Aboriginal Education Coordinator, Bertha Lansdowne. The development of this exhibit and accompanying educational program was made possible with funding from the Museums Assistance Program Department of Canadian Heritage, the City of New Westminster Heritage Grant Program, the Province of BC, and the Hamber Foundation.

 

The Fraser River Discovery Centre is an interpretive centre connecting communities in the discovery and celebration of the living, working Fraser River. Located along the Westminster boardwalk at 788 Quayside Drive, New Westminster, the Discovery Centre is open 10:00am to 6:00pm, 7-days a week throughout the summer. Admission to the galleries is by donation.  For further information visit our website at www.fraserriverdiscovery.org or call 604-521-8401.

 

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For more information please contact:

Fraser River Discovery Centre

Shannon King, Education Coordinator

sking at fraserriverdiscovery.org; 604-521-8401 x 104

 

Cindy Sale, Communication & Events Coordinator

csale at fraserriverdiscovery.org; 604-521-8401 x 103

 

Fraser River Discovery Centre

788 Quayside Drive | New Westminster BC | V3M 6Z6

P: 604.521.8401 | F: 604.521.9401

W: fraserriverdiscovery.org

 

Visit...Like...Share at  <http://www.facebook.com/FraserRiverDiscoveryCentre> http://www.facebook.com/FraserRiverDiscoveryCentre

þ Do you need to print this email? Please consider the environmental impact before printing.

 

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