[BCMA] Royal BC Museum digitizes rare ledger of the Joint Indian Reserve Commission

Fri Jun 5 13:55:44 PDT 2020

*June 5, 2020*

*The Royal BC Museum digitizes an historic ledger *

*documenting decisions by the Indian Reserve Commission*

*VICTORIA, BC–**The Royal BC Museum has acquired and digitized a rare book
from 1876 that documents decisions between the Joint Provincial and Federal
Indian Reserve Commission and Indigenous Elders and Chiefs on lands that
were later designated as reserves on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver
Island. *

*“This volume, which reflects the process of colonialism, is the official
record of meetings and dates of decisions at each community,” said Prof.
Jack Lohman, CEO of the Royal BC Museum. “The Royal BC Museum anticipates
the volume will be of great interest to Indigenous communities in BC
documented within, and we will ensure all British Columbians have access to
the contents.”*

*"It is an interesting read, providing new insight into the work of the
Joint Reserve Commission, "said Dianne Hinkley, research director for the
Cowichan Tribes and a member of the Royal BC Museum’s Indigenous Advisory
and Advocacy Committee.*

*“Library and Archives Canada (LAC) wishes to acknowledge the importance of
the Museum’s acquisition of Volume 1 of the Journal of Proceedings of the
Indian Reserve Commission,” said Leslie Weir, Librarian and Archivist of
Canada. “To mark the occasion, LAC has digitized Volume 2 as part of its We
Are Here: Sharing Stories initiative and acknowledges the significance of
these two volumes for recognizing the history of First Nations in British
Columbia. LAC aims to increase access to Indigenous-related content in its
collection as part of its commitment to move forward on the path toward
reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation.”*

*The Joint Indian Reserve Commission was established in 1875 by the
governments of Canada and British Columbia to fix the boundaries of Indian
Reserves in BC. *

*The Royal BC Museum believes that no other copy of Volume 1 of the Journal
of Proceedings of the Indian Reserve Commission exists. *

*The volume comprises daily entries, from November 1876 to June 1877, by
the three-person committee (Alexander Caulfield Anderson, Archibald
McKinlay, and Gilbert Malcom Sproat) who met with Indigenous communities on
the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island to discuss the creation of
reserves. *

*The volume’s core information is preserved elsewhere in official records,
but the document was not microfilmed or digitized until now, by the BC
Archives. *

*Staff have photographed, digitized and described the contents (i.e.*
*captured,
collated, analyzed and organized the information), and the digitized
version of the journal is available to the public at *
search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/joint-indian-reserve-commission-journal-of-proceedings-volume-i*.
*

*A finding aid, listing all the Indigenous communities visited by the
Commission, is also available at *
https://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Document/Finding_Aids_Atom/GR-3501_to_GR-4000/GR-3732.pdf*.
*

*Additionally, a comprehensive webpage about this volume is available at:  *
royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/100/object/joint-indian-reserve-commission-journal-of-proceedings-vol-i/

*Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds a copy of Volume 2, and a
digitized version is available at: *
http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=2034768&lang=eng.

*The first quarter of Volume 1 contains several small coloured ink drawings
of reserves on the mainland. The few maps that do occur for Vancouver
Island are more roughly sketched in black ink, likely by a different
person.  At various points in the volume, correspondence and accounts of
statements by Indigenous peoples, settlers, and personal letters have been
placed between pages.   *

*The Royal BC Museum purchased the ledger for $15,000 from a private seller
in late 2018.*

*About the Royal BC Museum*

The Royal BC Museum explores the province’s human history and natural
history, advances new knowledge and understanding of BC, and provides a
dynamic forum for discussion and a place for reflection. The museum and
archives celebrate culture and histories, telling the stories of BC in ways
that enlighten, stimulate and inspire. Located in Victoria on the
traditional territory of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations), we
are a hub of community connections in BC–onsite, offsite and online–taking
pride in our collective histories.

- 30 -

*Media contact:*

Royal BC Museum Media Inquiries

news at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

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*______________________________________________________________________________________________*

*Erik Lambertson *      Corporate Communications Manager  |  Marketing,
Sales and Business Development

ROYAL BC MUSEUM
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