An exhibition showcasing the power of community-engaged archaeology to advance Reconciliation is coming to SFU in time for National Indigenous People's Day.
The exhibition, "The Island in the Middle of Everywhere", depicts the rich Indigenous history and natural beauty of Xwe'etay (Lasqueti) Island, a Gulf Island off the coast of British Columbia. Launched May 3 with the unveiling of a permanent welcome mural in False Bay on Xwe'etay, it comes from Ingenium's Canada Agriculture and Food Museum to SFU's Saywell Atrium from June 16 through July 4.
Featuring stunning images, moving testimonials and video of island residents and members of Coast Salish Nations, the display showcases the archaeological work of the Xwe'etay/Lasqueti Archaeology Project (XLAP).
The project is led by Dana Lepofsky, SFU Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Department of Archaeology, and Sean Markey, a professor in SFU's School of Resource and Environmental Management and registered professional planner, and includes members from Coast Salish Nations and Xwe'etay residents.
Through this exhibit, and a variety of other endeavours, this group works to dispel myths and confront misconceptions about Xwe'etay's history and the field of archaeology and move forward a new model for heritage preservation.
For example, there is a colonial myth (common throughout the Gulf Islands and other settler lands) that prior to settler populations on Xwe'etay, there were no permanent Indigenous settlements on the island.
As illustrated in the exhibit, the archaeological record of Xwe'etay tells a very different story. Findings from the XLAP team demonstrate a millennia-deep history among northern Coast Salish Nations and the island, including evidence of multiple permanent settlements.
"When we started, some Indigenous people thought of Lasqueti just like settlers did: as the island in the middle of nowhere," says Lepofsky. "Through archaeological research, we flipped this saying on its head, to now be, the island in the middle of everywhere'. Xwe'etay was central in the cultural landscape of the Salish Sea, and the fact that Indigenous people didn't fully recognize that history is because of colonial forces."
The project brings together both settler and Indigenous communities with the goal of recognizing, honouring, respecting, and protecting Indigenous heritage through archaeology, land use planning, and conversations around policy and heritage preservation.
"We heard over and over again that Indigenous heritage is being lost at the pace of development," says Markey. "That very clearly identifies this as a land use problem. Who is making the decisions about land use? Where and how are they being made?"
"You need to engage all the communities. We need Indigenous peoples to tell us what is important to them and why it's important, and why the past is important to our present and our future," says Lepofsky. "We also need to talk to the folks who are in power and have set the rules."
The exhibit showcases some of what the XLAP team has learned about Xwe'etay and its relationships with Coast Salish peoples. Before Europeans arrived, the Northern Coast Salish skillfully managed the land and sea of Xwe'etay to create a rich and secure supply of fish, clams, plants, and other foods. Along the shore, below the high-tide line, terraces were built to increase clam numbers and productivity. Fish traps captured salmon and herring. In grassy areas, Indigenous cultivators raised beds of the beautiful purple camas lily, harvested for its starchy bulb.
As the exhibit demonstrates, these practices created a landscape of food that fed generations of Xwe'etay residents. Today, the XLAP archaeological team is uncovering how Indigenous people sustainably produced food over thousands of years. The remains of these practices are reminders of the deep history of Indigenous people on Xwe'etay and why it is vitally important to protect that heritage today.
The exhibition honours and brings to light the age-old Indigenous presence on Xwe'etay and gives viewers the chance to experience the unique and beautiful landscape of the island. It also demonstrates the power of community engaged archaeology as a tool to advance reconciliation and protect Indigenous heritage.
"People love archaeology, it's very tangible and visceral, and people are fascinated by it. It's a really powerful mobilization and education tool," says Markey. "Once you understand and view the landscape through an archaeological lens, you can't unsee it."
This exhibit provides this lens.
Markey notes that involving residents in the archaeology has had a profound impact on addressing some of the fears and tensions surrounding the discipline. Unaddressed, these fears can ultimately lead to the loss of Indigenous heritage if landowners avoid reporting archaeological sites on their properties for fear of what it will mean for them.
"When you see the archaeology map, the Indigenous presence is everywhere the whole island is a site. It sort of removes the focus on individual landowners to this acknowledgement that the Indigenous presence and history on the island goes back thousands of years," says Markey.
"Archaeology has the power and potential to bring people together. Once you bring people together, conversations can happen that are much broader than rocks and the bones of archaeology. The exhibit is one venue for these important conversations." says Lepofsky.
The exhibition was co-curated by the XLAP and the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum with the support of Fisheries and Oceans Canada on the Aquaculture Initiative.
