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Interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19604
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (68 min., 6 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (68 min., 7 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. 00:00:00 - 00:13:30 Interview opens with introductions. Samuel (Sam) and Angela Nalliah provide biographical details including their p…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (68 min., 6 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (68 min., 7 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: James Binks Interviewees: Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah Location of Interview: Nalliah family home Interview Date: May 29, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 68 min., 6 sec. Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Photograph information: Ruth (Angela) Nalliah with husband Samuel Nalliah WARNING: Some of the content discussed in this interview (00:40:58 – 00:57:31) regarding the Tamil genocide may be upsetting to some people.
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. 00:00:00 - 00:13:30 Interview opens with introductions. Samuel (Sam) and Angela Nalliah provide biographical details including their parentage, place of birth (Sri Lanka), spoken language and education. Sam Nalliah shares details on his education while living in Sri Lanka, his later education in Wales where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and his migration to Halifax in 1978 after obtaining a job at Dalhousie University as a systems analyst. Sam conveys how he decided to relocate from Halifax to Vancouver in 1986 and started his employment with BC Tel. Angela Nalliah shares details on her education and employment after immigrating to Canada from Sri Lanka in 1986. Angela conveys how she first lived in Ottawa, moved to Toronto in 1989 where she began working for TD bank and moved to Vancouver in 1999. 00:13:31 – 00:20:03 Sam Nalliah talks about how he and his wife Angela first met and married in 1999 and moved to Vancouver. Sam shares information on where his other family members immigrated to and why he decided to immigrate to Canada. Angela shares information on other members of her family who immigrated to Canada before her and how her uncle sponsored them all to come. 00:20:04 – 00:29:30 Sam provides further details regarding his family make up including; his first wife, his daughters (born in 1983 and 1985), his step daughter (born in 1991) and his youngest daughter (born in 2000). Sam tells how he worked as a Systems and Operations Manager at Shaughnessy Hospital and later at BC Hydro. Sam provides locations of homes that they lived in Burnaby and Vancouver. Sam and Angela describe what they liked about living in Burnaby, where their daughter attended school and where they did their shopping. 00:29:31 – 00:32:11 Angela talks about working for Prospera Credit Union from 2003 after TD bank downsized. Sam describes how they rented out their house in Vancouver and lived in a rental home in Burnaby that was owned by the City of Burnaby. Sam and Angela recollect the time period that they lived in Burnaby and Vancouver before deciding to move to Surrey in 2015. 00:32:12 – 00:35:59 Sam and Angela provide details regarding their daughter’s post-secondary education and careers. Angela talks about her social activities, volunteer work and involvement with the Thamil Cultural Society of British Columbia, the Women’s Network as well as the Westminster Bible Chapel Church in Burnaby and the Green Timbers Evangelical Covenant Church in Surrey. 00:36:00 – 00:40:57 Sam recalls hearing Prime Minster Pierre Elliott Trudeau speak about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms at Dalhousie University and the effect that his speech made on him. Sam talks about joining the National Democratic Party when Peter Julian was elected as a Member of Parliament for Burnaby. 00:40:58 – 00:57:31 (WARNING: Some of the content discussed in this portion of the interview may be upsetting to some people) Sam and Angela speak about their involvement with the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC). Angela describes the brutal violence that she witnessed while living in Sri Lanka during the Anti-Tamil state sponsored genocide in the 1980’s. Sam and Angela recollect and discuss their views and actions pertaining to the MV Sun Sea incident where a Thai cargo ship carrying Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to British Columbia were identified as terrorists by the Canadian Government and held in detention facilities. 00:57:32 – 01:08:07 Sam reflects on what he likes about Burnaby. Angela and Sam talk about Hindu temples attended by many Tamil and Sri Lankan people living in Burnaby and the lower mainland. Angela talks about the many cultural events and celebrations that are celebrated within the Tamil and Sri Lankan community including the Pongal Festival. Angela and Sam reflect on how grateful they are to be residents of Canada.
- History
- Interviewees biographies: Samuel (Sam) Nalliah was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1949. Sam immigrated to Halifax in 1977 after obtaining a position as a systems analyst at Dalhousie University. In 1986, Sam sponsored his parents to come to Canada. In 1986, after being introduced to the milder weather in Victoria, Sam decided to move to British Columbia. He moved to Burnaby in 1990 and began working for BC Tel in Burnaby. Following his job at BC Tel, Sam worked as a Systems and Operations Manager at Shaughnessy Hospital and later at BC Hydro. Ruth (Angela) Nalliah was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1964 and immigrated to Canada in 1986. As a Tamil living in Sri Lanka in the 1980’s Angela witnessed first hand the brutal violence during the Anti-Tamil state sponsored genocide. In 1986 Angela was relieved to be able to immigrate to Canada after being sponsored by her uncle. Angela first lived and worked in Ottawa and Toronto before marrying Samuel Nalliah in Ottawa in 1999 and the couple moved to Burnaby. Angela worked for TD bank in both Toronto and Vancouver until it downsized in 2003 and she began working for Prospero Credit Union. While living in Burnaby, Angela attended the Westminster Bible Chapel and after moving to Surrey she became a member of the Green Timbers Evangelical Covenant Church. Sam and Angela Nalliah have four daughters and since moving to British Columbia they’ve lived in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey. Both Sam and Angela are involved with the Tamil Cultural Association of British Columbia and the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) as well as participates in Sri Lankan and Tamil community cultural events. Interviewer biography: James Binks has lived in the Lower Mainland since 2009 after relocating from Ontario. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, where he conducted researched on heritage, environment, and globalization in India, Nepal, and Italy. At Burnaby Village Museum, James contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Education
- Events - Festivals
- Government
- Government - Federal Government
- Migration
- Occupations
- Organizations - Political Parties
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Religions
- Religions - Christianity
- Religions - Hinduism
- Rights
- Rights - Human Rights
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Social Issues - Discrimination
- Names
- Nalliah, Ruth "Angela"
- Nalliah, Samuel "Sam"
- Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC)
- Westminster Bible Chapel
- Thamil Cultural Society of British Columbia (TCSBC)
- Responsibility
- Binks, James
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.8
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum
Images
Audio Tracks
Interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah, 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023
Interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah, 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0008_003.mp3
The Legend of Deer Lake and Indigenous histories of Burnaby
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15666
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 4 May 2021
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (62 min., 28 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Adrian Avendaño, Stewardship Program Manager with Still Moon Arts Society. The webinar is presented in partnership with the Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby Public Library and Still Moon Arts Society. The webinar is titled "The Lege…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (62 min., 28 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps
- Material Details
- Presenter: John Preissl
- Host: Adrian Avendano (Still Moon Arts Society)
- Date of Presentation: Tuesday, May 4, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Total Number of tracks: 1
- Total Length of all tracks: 62 min., 28 sec.
- Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform
- Recording Note: Film was edited from it's original recorded version (77 min., 48 sec.) to edited version (62 min., 28 sec.) for public viewing on Heritage Burnaby.
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Adrian Avendaño, Stewardship Program Manager with Still Moon Arts Society. The webinar is presented in partnership with the Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby Public Library and Still Moon Arts Society. The webinar is titled "The Legend of Deer Lake and Indigenous histories of Burnaby" and is presented by John Preissl, Freelance Photographer of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Leq’á:mel Nation ancestry. The Zoom webinar is the third in a series of six "Neighbourhood Speaker series" webinars exploring a range of topics shared by Indigenous speakers and knowledge keepers that were presented and made available to the public between April 27 and May 12, 2021. The live webinar was also made available on the Burnaby Village Museum's facebook page. Community members were invited to participate by bringing questions during the interactive online sessions. This webinar was made available in In partnership with Still Moon Arts Society. In this webinar, John Preissl shares his family’s long history from the first Chief Capilano in the late 1700's to the present day. Looking through the lens of his camera, John weaves together stories of the Legend of Deer Lake, resource gathering in the Burnaby Lake Watershed, and protection of the sacred salmon and eagle habitat on the shared homelands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. The presentation is supported with photographs that John has taken over the years documenting the diverse environment and wildlife habitats in Burnaby, the lower mainland and west coast including waterways and the fight to protect it. Following the presentation, John Preissl takes questions from the audience that are moderated by the host, Adrian Avendaño.
- History
- John Preissl is a Burnaby-based environmental, adventure, wildlife and Indigenous freelance photographer. He is a media expert with over two decades of media experience and consulting. John is of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Leq’á:mel Nation ancestry. His Great times-two Grandfather was the Great Chief Joe Capilano. John leads many First Nations Tours in Burnaby from Deer Lake, Burnaby Lake, Burnaby Mountain and pretty well all over Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Tsleil-Waututh Nations Lands.
- Subjects
- Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Social life and customs
- Animals - Birds
- Animals - Fish
- Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds
- Geographic Features - Ravines
- Names
- Preissl, John
- Tsleil-Waututh Nation
- Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation
- Avendaño, Adrian
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV021.17.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- 4 May 2021
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Lake Area
- Notes
- Title based on content of video recording The following links were shared at the end of the presentation:
- The Legend of Deer Lake: https://www.legendsofvancouver.net/deer-lake-burnaby-vancouver
- Saving the Salmon: the Brunette River Story, a short film about the preservation of Brunette River: https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumvideo4486
- Saving Burnaby Lake, a short film about the preservation of Burnaby Lake: https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumvideo4485
- Still Creek Streamkeepers: https://stillmoonarts.ca/stewardship/streamkeepers/
- John Preissl’s photography website: https://johnpreisslphotography.ca/
Images
Video
The Legend of Deer Lake and Indigenous histories of Burnaby, 4 May 2021
The Legend of Deer Lake and Indigenous histories of Burnaby, 4 May 2021
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2021_0017_0003_002.mp4