In 1916, English visitor Alice Lisle spent a year in Oak Bay staying with friends at the Oak Bay Boat House. During her visit she took photographs of Songhees village sites on Discovery and Chatham Islands and of First Nation entrepreneurs and residents around the harbour of Victoria. Descendants of Alice Lisle preserved the original photograph albums and in 2015 shared the images with the chief and council of the Songhees Nation.
In 2016, the Songhees Nation and Robert Bateman Centre worked together to incorporate these rare photographs in an exhibit called Resilience of the People: A Visual History of the Traditional Territory of the Lekwungen/Songhees People.
B次元官网网址淭he really great thing is that weB次元官网网址檝e had a chance to showcase this exhibit again a year later here in Oak Bay.
For Oak Bay the two areas that the exhibit focuses on is Willows Beach and the Discovery and Chatham islands which you can see from Oak Bay,B次元官网网址� said Peter Ord, managing director, Robert Bateman Centre.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really important that Oak Bay understands the history thatB次元官网网址檚 here, seen through the viewpoint of the Songhees Nation.
TheyB次元官网网址檝e done a great job of showcasing that in many other ways. This is just another way people can do that here in their city hall.B次元官网网址�
Originally launched at the Bateman Centre, the exhibit covers a visual history of what is now Greater Victoria, the Songhees First NationB次元官网网址檚 traditional territory.
Visitors will discover the complexities of the lands around them, and witness how the SongheesB次元官网网址� resilient relationship to the conditions of their ancestral lands has changed, including how their relationship has developed up to the present day.
The exhibit contains engaging maps and historical and contemporary photographs of the Songhees people.
B次元官网网址淭hey [the elders] held onto so much, with all the roadblocks they faced, and kept passing the culture along, being so resilient. ThatB次元官网网址檚 a word, resilience, for our community B次元官网网址� for First Nations,B次元官网网址� said Songhees elected councillor Karen Tunkara Dick.
The exhibit also features video of elder
B次元官网网址淚t shows her, her traditional home which used to be on island, she in fact was the last person to live there from her nation,B次元官网网址� Ord said.
B次元官网网址淪he talks about life and about how that has changed as well. ItB次元官网网址檚 a great story and I think people will be pretty moved not only by her story but also by the beautiful scenery.B次元官网网址�
The project is also an important testament to the changing relationship between the original and new settlers of this area.
B次元官网网址淲e are honoured to host this important exhibit in Oak Bay,B次元官网网址� said Mayor Nils Jensen.
Resilience of the People: A visual history of the traditional territory of the Lekwungen/Songhees people, is open from Aug. 1 to Aug. 31 at the Oak Bay Municipal Hall, Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The exhibit will also be open during the Oak Bay Night Market on Wednesday, Aug. 9 from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to celebrate Oak BayB次元官网网址檚 Arts &Culture Week.
cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com
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