Innholdsfortegnelse for 55.4 Winter 2022 i British Columbia History

Major anniversaries offer opportunities for history lovers. They give us a chance to look back; to rediscover stories at risk of being lost or forgotten; and ponder how our past still shapes us today. The year 2023 will mark a sad milestone in Canada: 100 years since the passing of the 1923 Chinese Immigration Act (more commonly known as the Chinese Exclusion Act). This unprecedented and hostile piece of legislation launched the darkest period for Chinese in Canada. Dubbed the “Cruelty Act” by the Chinese community, the despair and misery it caused lasted for almost a quarter century and affected tens of thousands of lives. The ripple effects continued long after the Act was repealed in 1947. Today, the details of this period are largely forgotten, even among Chinese Canadians…

‘sometimes I find myself more drawn or tied to my candian nationality. I also have a genuine desire to learn and know more about my Filipino roots-particularly through literature,” says my friend and mentor James Roy Catingub. James, a second-generation Filipino born and raised in BC, is an aspiring teacher who was inspired by the passion of his mentors. He’s currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Culture at St. Mark’s College near UBC. He grew up in a Filipino-dominant community; within this community, James did not feel like a “minority.” His childhood was rich with Filipino culture. He was raised in a household that valued religion and family, and he attended religious events with his family. As a child, he was fed authentic home-cooked Filipino dishes.…

I read an article about the new James Webb Space Telescope and how it might lead us to answer the question, “Are we alone?”1 Then I immediately thought, if we’re looking for signs of “life,” why are we thinking of livable planets only in terms of our own existence, using only our definition of life? For such a big question, isn’t it restricting the answer? Colonized thinking is a one-lane highway in which people compare themselves to each other or to what they “know.” Instead of coming into the room and celebrating our differences, our first thought is to see how much like me you are. While this may be the more accessible and more comfortable way to do things, it’s restricting our vision. I hope this little column has…

It began with one tragedy. On June 11, 1922, six Chinese boys made their way down to the inner harbour of Victoria, passing the wooden hulls of the Cholberg Shipyard and climbing down the large shore rocks. The cool breeze off the sea gave them goosebumps as they began to disrobe and wade into the shallows. One of the boys, a teenager, jumped into the cold, salty water and headed far from the shoreline. According to a witness, he could not swim and soon it was clear something was wrong: he panicked and began to thrash in the water. Terrified, but determined to help, one of the youngest boys, a ten-year-old, dove in to save his friend, but likewise struggled in the frigid, kelp-dense water. The two were sinking beneath…

1 Inclusive and Diverse Voices The BCHF includes people, stories, research, and stewardship projects from Indigenous communities and geographically and culturally diverse communities from around BC. 2 Evidence Based Storytelling The BCHF is committed to research-based publishing that acknowledges the rights and wrongs of the past and provides a catalyst for dialogue. 3 Supporting Preservation The BCHF knows that the preservation of historical records, both tangible and intangible, is critical to the ability to present and discuss history. We support historical archives and projects that catalogue unwritten and unbuilt history. 4 Accessible and Relevant The BCHF puts accessibility at the centre of its storytelling. We listen to what the public is curious about and create information that puts history into context. Through British Columbia History magazine, and new uses of technology, including social media…

1 BC War Hero Honoured in Northern Ireland The son of a Canadian war hero has unveiled a stone statue of his father in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland. Robert Hill Hanna immigrated to BC from County Down in 1905, and at age 27 enlisted with the 29th Battalion in Vancouver. His November 1914 attestation papers describe him as a “lumberman” with fair hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 7-½ inches (171 cm) tall. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his efforts at the 1917 Battle of Hill 70 in northern France. With all of his company officers either killed or wounded, Hanna led a party against a fortified machine gun nest under heavy fire. His citation reads, “[H]e rushed through the wire and personally bayoneted three of the enemy and…

British Columbia History is a quarterly magazine chronicling British Columbia’s unique story through the words and images of community writers, archivists, museum professionals, academic historians, and more. SUBMISSIONS Our editorial team makes every effort to respond to all submission enquiries; however, our magazine operates with a small part-time staff and it may take some time for us to get back to you. PRINT SCHEDULE Our editorial team works with set copy deadlines and must often finalize content six months or more in advance of publication. UPCOMING THEMES…

On August 24, SASI opened its doors to premiere this new movie that documents India’s largest farmers’ protest and the Indian-Canadian diaspora’s response to it. This ground-breaking documentary captures the electric ethos of a protest that received international attention and the resounding response by British Columbians to the movement. A full year in the making, the film tells the story of why and how the farmers’ movement ignited a nation—and youth, women, and men from all over the world. If you’ve seen the “No farmers, no food” decals that began appearing on vehicles last year, you’ve witnessed this remarkable global protest. Proposed farm laws introduced in India began an 18-month process that drew in people from around the world, including British Columbians. Each week for more than a year, protesters…

The Sherman Grinberg Film Library, located in Los Angeles, is the home of historic newsreels created from 1897 to 1957 by Paramount and American Pathe. While the films have been stored in film vaults since the early 1960s, there are now over 49,000 historic film clips available on the company website for teachers, students, and researchers to watch and download for no cost. More footage is added daily. Currently there are 120 clips specifically about “British Columbia” on the website that can be found by entering town names or by browsing. The Grinberg Team recently contacted the British Columbia Historical Federation about finding ways to share its footage of places and events in British Columbia, or other footage with organization members. “I have been a Media Archivist for almost 30…

A decade after its publication by Arsenal Pulp Press, David H.T. Wong’s best-selling graphic novel about Chinese migration to Gam Saan or Gold Mountain (western North America) becomes ever-more relevant as a fresh take on history. Botanist, artist, architect and a lover of cartoons, David H.T. Wong was born and raised in Vancouver and has been the recipient of many accolades celebrating his environmental and intercultural work, including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal, induction as an Honorary Witness by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and recognition by the Vancouver Sun newspaper as one of British Columbia’s “100 influential Chinese Canadians.” Wong’s goal was to pack the story with information so it could stand as a resource that invites people—children and adults alike—to learn easily about our collective past.…

Wal’ceckwu (pronounced wel-chatko), also known as Marion Dixon, was my teacher at basketry workshops organized by the late Irene Bjerky at the Yale Historic Site in the mid-2000S.4 Marion is an Nlaka’pamux woman and one of the few remaining makers skilled in the art and craft of coiled cedar-root basketry. We workshop participants were awed by her skill and dexterity, her generosity in passing on her knowledge, and overwhelmed by the thought of the hard work that she and her sons had done to collect and process the materials she had for us at the workshop. I thank Marion for the time she gave me at the workshops, in subsequent conversations at her home, just outside Hope, and in the phone conversations that rounded out this article. Marion is descended…

I’m writing this during a power outage, an experience befitting the winter issue of British Columbia History magazine. I’ve spent most of my life in rural areas where power outages are often measured in days, and we predict when electricity will be restored based on past experiences—far from a scientific method. Stories about the 2018 windstorm on Vancouver Island or the legendary “Blizzard of ’96” are entertaining but rarely a useful estimate of how long it will take BC Hydro to repair damaged power lines. During the “Blizzard of ’96,” I was a first-year university student, living at home in Extension, a small rural community ten kilometres south of Nanaimo. Our power was out for the better part of a week, and the waistdeep snow was far more than South…