"Government" found 22 records

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19349

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Honourable Raj Chouhan Location of Interview: Residence of Honourable Raj Chouhan Interview Date: December 2, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: (00:49:21) Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant and the organizations that he became involved with. Honourable Raj Chouhan recalls how he arrived in Burnaby with his family in 1973 and that his family worked in farming. Chouhan imparts his first hand experiences as a new immigrant working as a labourer in the farming industry and describes the unsafe and unfair working conditions that he and migrant workers faced. Chouhan conveys how this experience lead him to become an activist for better working conditions for migrant workers. This lead Chouhan and others to form the Canadian Farm Workers Union in 1980. Chouhan recollects his experiences flying from India to Canada with his wife, his first impressions after arriving in Vancouver and driving to Burnaby and what he brought with him. Chouhan explains his connections to Burnaby. Members of Chouhan's wife's family immgrated to Canada in 1957 and his wife and her three brothers joined them in 1970. Chouhan's father in law, Hardial Singh Grewal immigrated in 1957 and became president of the Sikh temple in New Westminster. Hardial Singh Grewal worked in a lumber mill in Vancouver and eventually bought a house in Burnaby. Chouhan married to his wife at the Sikh temple in New Westminster and lived in Burnaby for a period before moving to New Westminster where they could find more affordable housing. Chouhan shares that he first worked as a farm labourer in Abbotsford and then found a job in the sawmill which paid more. Chouhan describes the extreme racism and discrimination that he and other immigrants faced which lead to the formation of the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism under the leadership of Dr. Hari Prakash Sharma. Chouhan describes this organization that he was a part of and the Canadian Farm Workers Union that were both formed in Burnaby. Chouhan shares that he moved to Victoria in 1988 to serve on the Hospital Employee's Union and moved back to the mainland in 1993 and returned to Burnaby in 2001. Chouhan reflects on the history of South Asian immigration in Canada, how many of the migrants settled in the lower mainland including Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver establishing temples in Vancouver and New Westminster which became the centre for the South Asian community. He conveys how earlier occupations were limited to farming and millwork and how over time employment opportunities and education have broadened but there is still work to do. He imparts how second generation Canadians’ experiences differ from first generations providing examples of his own daughters’ and the occupations that they are working in. Chouhan provides his insights into the South Asian Canadian experience imparting “We make history every day and that history needs to be recorded and learned from.."... “People from different communities, different backgrounds who lived in Burnaby have contributed so much and South Asians are just like another community and participated in all aspects of social life, cultural, religious, economy. I'm so proud of our community, our forefathers who had that vision to fight for our rights. I'm inspired by people who struggled so much to gain basic rights, like the right to vote". Chouhan refers to these first immigrants as “Gadri Babbas” “revolutionary old people” who were also the main motivation that lead to India becoming a free country in 1947 and for fighting for basic rights here in Canada and how they made their contributions for future generations. Chouhan expresses what he imparts to students “Do not forget your past... if you remember your past then you are much more knowledgeable. Then we know what we need for the future. If we don't know the past, we don't know what the future is going to be like. To make a better future, you have to learn from the past and improve".

History: Interviewee biography: Honourable Raj Chouhan was born in the city of Ludhiana in the Province of Punjab in India and immigrated to Canada in 1973. After arriving in Canada, Raj's family settled in Burnaby. Raj grew up in Burnaby and attended schoool. Honourable Raj Chouhan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as the MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds in 2005 and was re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2020. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on December 7, 2020. Honourable Chouhan is the founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers Union and the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism and has served as a director of the Hospital Employees' Union, the Labour Relations Board of B.C. and the Arbitration Bureau of B.C. Honourable Chouhan has also served as the Vice President of B.C. Human Rights Defenders since 2003 and has taught courses in Human Rights, the B.C. Labour Code and Collective Bargaining since 1987. Interviewer biography: Kate Petrusa is the Assistant Curator at the Burnaby Village Museum. In her role, she manages all aspects of the collection – including caring for physical artifacts and making their digital counterpart accessible. Before coming to Burnaby Village Museum in 2019, Kate has worked at several Museums around the Lower Mainland as a Curator and contractor since 2013.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Persons - South Asian Canadians; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Occupations - Agricultural Labourers; Migration; Organizations - Unions; Rights; Rights - Human Rights; Agriculture; Agriculture - Farms; Government - Provincial Government; Government

Names: Chouhan, Raj; British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism; Sharma, Dr. Hari Prakash; Grewal, Hardial Singh; Canadian Farmworkers Union; Hospital Employees Union; Khalsa Diwan Society

Responsibility: Petrusa, Kate

Accession Code: BV022.29.4

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby

Documents

2022_0029_0004_003

Audio Tracks

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0004_002.mp3

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…

1 image 1 audio

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

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0008_003.mp3

Thoughts on decolonizing heritage

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription14757

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1 Oct. 2020

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (88 min., 3 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum's Kate Petrusa. The webinar is titled "Thoughts on Decolonizing Heritage" and is presented by Kamala Todd - Indigenous Community Planner, Filmmaker, and Adjunct Professor SFU. The zoom webinar is the second i…

1 image 1 video

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Burnaby Neighbourhood Speaker Series series

Subseries: Neighbourhood Speaker Series - Fall 2020 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (88 min., 3 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Material Details: Presenter: Kamala Todd; Host: Kate Petrusa; Date of Presentation: October 1, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm; Total Number of tracks: 1; Total Length of all tracks: 88 min., 3 sec.; Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum's Kate Petrusa. The webinar is titled "Thoughts on Decolonizing Heritage" and is presented by Kamala Todd - Indigenous Community Planner, Filmmaker, and Adjunct Professor SFU. The zoom webinar is the second in a collection of seven "Neighbourhood Speaker series" webinars that were presented and made available to the public between September 29 and October 27, 2020. The live webinar and recording was also made available on the Burnaby Village Museum's facebook page. In this webinar, Kamala Todd speaks about how narratives and sense of place shape our connection to the lands we live upon. Kamala highlights how dominant colonial narratives are embedded into the built environment, place names, heritage landscapes, and the very planning of our cities contributing to exclusion and erasure of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking people, who have lived on their unceded territories since time immemorial.Todd provides her perspectives by asking the questions; How has “Heritage” contributed to colonial harms and erasures? And what will it take to decolonize and re-Indigenize the stories, landscapes, and understandings of the places we call home? The presentation is supported with contemporary and historic photographs. Kamala takes questions from webinar participants and reads from writings of different authors including Stó:lō author, Lee Maracle and Salish poet, Will George.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Indigenous peoples - British Columbia; Indigenous peoples - Canada - Government relations; Indigenous peoples - Canada - , Treatment of; Persons - Pioneers; Government - Colonial Government; Monuments

Names: Todd, Kamala; George, Wil; Maracle, Lee

Responsibility: Petrusa, Kate

Geographic Access: Vancouver

Accession Code: BV020.29.2

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 1 Oct. 2020

Media Type: Moving Images

Notes: Title based on contents of video recording; Video recording was edited for publication on Heritage Burnaby. Original mp4 video recording (BV020.29.2.1) is 103 min., 49 sec.

Images

Video

Thoughts on decolonizing heritage, 1 Oct. 2020

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2020_0029_0002_002.mp4

Map of South Western Part of British Columbia

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription8688

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1897

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Map collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 map : col. ink on paper ; 68 x 88 cm

Scope and Content: Item consists of a "MAP OF THE SOUTH-WESTERN PART OF BRITISH COLUMBIA”. Map identifies geographic land districts of New Westminster District; Coast District; Lillooet District; Yale District, Kamloops Division, Yale Division and districts on Vancouver Island. Map also includes the northern portions…

1 image 1 zoomable image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Map collection

Series: Maps of British Columbia and Canada series

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 map : col. ink on paper ; 68 x 88 cm

Material Details: Scale [1:633600]

Scope and Content: Item consists of a "MAP OF THE SOUTH-WESTERN PART OF BRITISH COLUMBIA”. Map identifies geographic land districts of New Westminster District; Coast District; Lillooet District; Yale District, Kamloops Division, Yale Division and districts on Vancouver Island. Map also includes the northern portions of the State of Washington below the 49th parallel.

Creator: Government of British Columbia - Department of Lands and Works

Publisher: The Colonist Litho Victoria B.C.

Responsibility: Martin, George Bohun

Accession Code: BV993.12.12

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 1897

Media Type: Cartographic Material

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-08-17

Notes: Transcribed title; Scale equals 1 inch to 10 miles; "Compiled and drawn by direction of the Honouable G.B. Martin, Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, Victoria, B.C."; Signed by Surveyor General "Tom Kains"

Zoomable Images

Map of South Western Part of British Columbia, 1897

Zoom into Image

Subdivision plans in New Westminster District Group 1 – Burnaby, Vancouver and map - Canada Department of Mines

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription6994

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1890-1909

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Map collection

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 1 plan : graphite on paper + 2 plans : black ink on paper + 1 map : col. on paper mounted on 2 sides of cardboard 76 x 102 cm

Scope and Content: Item consists of a large board with one New Westminster District subdivision plan mounted on one side and two New Westminster District subdivision plans and one colour map mounted on the other side. Side A: 1. "Plan / of Subdivision of / Blocks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / Lot 77 / Group 1 / New Westminster D…

2 images

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Map collection

Series: Survey and Subdivision plans series

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 1 plan : graphite on paper + 2 plans : black ink on paper + 1 map : col. on paper mounted on 2 sides of cardboard 76 x 102 cm

Material Details: Scales 1:720 and 1:1200 and 1:.00001578

Scope and Content: Item consists of a large board with one New Westminster District subdivision plan mounted on one side and two New Westminster District subdivision plans and one colour map mounted on the other side. Side A: 1. "Plan / of Subdivision of / Blocks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / Lot 77 / Group 1 / New Westminster District / BC. / Scale 100 feet = 1 inch", "Deposited 8th day / of April 1890 / Mowileg [sic] / Dist. Regt". Plan is drawn in graphite with annotations: "AB_Parts_lettered_are_lots_in / the_different_subdivisions" / "Owners: / James E. Hall / P.S.Cabilan [sic] by his attorney Joseph Hall / Joseph Hall / Eliza J. Shannon / John Harrison"; "This plan is correct and is prepared under the / provisions of the Land Registry Act" ; signed by: "Gordon Herman & Burwell / Dominion & Provincial Land Surveryors / Vancouver March 19th/90" . Plan is initialed by: "RB" [sic] (in blue pencil crayon) and measures: 99.5 x 65 cm (Geographic location: Burnaby) Side B: 1. Map titled "Canada / Department of Mines / Geological Survey Branch" / "Hon.W Templeton, Minister / A.P. Low, Deputy Minister / R.W. Brock, Acting Director", Vol. XXXI, Plate I / Compiled under the direction of / James White, F.R.G.S. Geographer /Dep. of Interior". Note above map reads: "To illustrate Mr. James Barrowman's report as Delegate at the Excursion - meeting of the Canadian Mining Institute", "The instiitution of Mining Engineers / Transactions 1908 - 1909", "The Mining Institute of Scotland / Transactions 1908-1909". Map identifies minerals and includes a Legend and Scale: 100 miles = 1 inch 2. "Plan / of Subdivision of / Lot 4 / of Subdivision of / Lot 87. Gr. 1 / New Westminster District / Scale 60' = 1in." Plan is initialed by: "RB" [sic] along with a note "also Board / 48" (in blue pencil crayon) (Geographic location: Burnaby) 3. Plan of "Lot 335 / G. 1" west of Boundary Road and north of River Road - Vancouver. (Geographic location: Vancouver)

Creator: Garden, Hermon & Burwell; Hill, Albert James

Publisher: The Mining Institute of Scotland

Names: Hall, James Edward; Hall, Joseph; Shannon, Eliza J.; Harrison, John

Responsibility: Government of Canada - Department of Mines - Geological Survey Branch

Geographic Access: Vancouver

Accession Code: HV977.93.25

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 1890-1909

Media Type: Cartographic Material

Scan Resolution: 300

Scale: 72

Notes: Title based on contents of file; Scale is measured in feet and miles.; The term "Lot" often refers to "District Lot"

Images

Subdivision plans in New Westminster District Group 1 – Burnaby, Vancouver and map - Canada Department of Mines, 1890-1909 thumbnail

Oral history interview with Hipman "Jimmy" Chow and Donna Polos

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19146

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 29 Jun. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Hipman "Jimmy" Chow and Donna Polos fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 3 sound recordings (wav) (02:06:53 min) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (02:06:53 min)

Scope and Content: Item consists of an audio recording of an oral history interview with Jimmy Chow and Donna Polos conducted by Denise Fong with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. During the interview, Jimmy Chow and Donna Polos discuss; their ancestral background, childhood, pla…

1 image 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Hipman "Jimmy" Chow and Donna Polos fonds

Series: Jimmy Chow and Donna Polos interview series

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 3 sound recordings (wav) (02:06:53 min) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (02:06:53 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Denise Fong Co Interviewer and technical support: Kate Petrusa Interviewees: Hipman "Jimmy" Chow and Donna Polos Location of Interview: Home of Jimmy Chow and Donna Polos on Victory Street, Burnaby Date of interview: June 29, 2022 Total Number of Tracks: 3 Total length of all Tracks: 02:06:53 min Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto 3 separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of an audio recording of an oral history interview with Jimmy Chow and Donna Polos conducted by Denise Fong with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. During the interview, Jimmy Chow and Donna Polos discuss; their ancestral background, childhood, places of residence, education, career history, how they met, Jimmy's experience working in the film industry, their home in Burnaby and their neighbourhood, their political activism in Burnaby, Robin Chung Dip's work in Vancouver’s' Chinatown, the gambling scene in Vancouver prior to legalized forms of gambling and their memories of supper clubs in Vancouver. 00:00 - 5:57 Opening introductions where Jimmy Chow and Donna Polos provide information on their full names, their birth places and their ancestral background. Jimmy clarifies that his birth name is Hipman Chow but that he was given the English name “Jimmy” by his father when he came to Canada. Jimmy shares that he was born in 1948, in the Village of Lin Pong Lee, Hoiping, China and immigrated to British Columbia with his mother, Gim Gee Chow in 1950 to escape the Communist Regime and to join his father who had already immigrated to Canada. Jimmy imparts that many Chinese immigrated to British Columbia in search of a better life, referring to it as “Gold Mountain” and that even though they faced extreme racial discrimination that many stayed since they felt that it was better than returning. Donna Polos shares ancestral information on both her maternal and paternal sides of the family. Donna’s mother’s family came from Helsinki, Finland. Donna’s paternal grandmother emigrated from Ukraine to Argentina and then to Winnipeg. Donna’s paternal grandfather, James Kostopolus (renamed Polos) emigrated as a 12 year old orphan from Sparta, Greece to the United States but was denied entry so ended up going to Halifax and eventually made his way to Vancouver. Once in Vancouver, he became a restaurant proprietor and over the years, he owned and operated three restaurants in Vancouver, including; “Jimmy’s Café” (next door the Astoria Hotel); “Home Apple Pie Café” (Princess Avenue & Hastings Street) and a restaurant that was located on Alma Street. 05:58 - 13:28 Jimmy recollects in further detail, the many places that his family lived over the years. Jimmy’s father Robin Chung Dip Chow immigrated to Vancouver at the age of 14 years and worked and lived in Victoria and Vancouver. In 1950, Jimmy and his mother fled China, first to Hong Kong and then to Vancouver to join his father. Soon after arriving in Vancouver, for the next four years, he and his parents lived in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec City where his father, Robin had work in restaurants and hotels. Jimmy attended school while the family lived in these different places and began to learn English. After four years, the family returned to Vancouver, first living in areas of Chinatown and Strathcona before settling in the neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant. Jimmy shares his memories of growing up in Strathcona and the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, schools that he attended and the friendships that he made. Jimmy recollects details about the old Bethlehem Lutheran Church that he attended and describes the demands of the education required to become a Lutheran minister. 13:29 - 15:47 Jimmy tells of how his father, Robin Chung Dip Chow had to pay the Chinese Head Tax of $500 when he arrived in Vancouver at 14 years of age (1921) and how his father had to work hard pay off the head tax over the years. Denise Fong and Jimmy Chow, talk about the origin of a photograph portrait of Jimmy Chow that was taken around 1954 and speculate whether it might have been taken by well known portrait photographer, Yucho Chow. 15:48 - 19:33 Donna Polos recollects the many locations that her family lived while she was growing up in Vancouver. First residing at various locations in the downtown east side of Vancouver before moving to a home near Joyce Station where she lived until 21 years old. After 21 years of age, Donna moved in with roommates in Vancouver before moving in with Jimmy in North Burnaby in 1972. In 1976 Donna and Jimmy purchased their home on Victory Street. Both Donna and Jimmy talk about their careers after high school. Jimmy talks about how he worked at the Supervalu grocery store near his house. Jimmy planned to use his savings from his job to travel but instead he used his savings for a down payment on a house with Donna. Donna imparts that after obtaining her teaching degree she began working in Burnaby schools, eventually teaching at Burnaby South. 19:34 - 32:08 Both Jimmy and Donna share their educational background and experiences growing up. Jimmy first attended Florence Nightingale elementary in Strathcona, then Mount Pleasant Elementary and later high school at 24th Avenue and Main Street. Donna lists the schools that she attended including; elementary school in Strathcona, Carlton Elementary School at Kingsway and Joyce, Windermere High School, Vancouver City College (Langara) and the University of British Columbia. Donna and Jimmy reflect on public transportation that was available during the time they were growing up. Donna recollects her childhood growing up in the neighbourhood of Joyce Station, the freedom that she experienced playing outside in nature and what inspired her to become a teacher. Jimmy reflects on some of his mentors and about his first experience seeing movies as a young child at a cinema in Asquith, Saskatchewan. Donna communicates her own experiences of sexism throughout her high school, college and university education (1968-1972). 32:09 - 36:18 Donna talks about her career history and some of her major turning points. Donna recollects starting out as a Chemistry lab assistant, marking math papers before working as a teacher on call and eventually being hired as a teacher at Clinton Elementary School where she taught for nine years. Donna shares a memory of her first experience working as a teacher on call at Gilmore Elementary School and the fire that occurred there. After starting a family (Jimmy and Donna had three children) Donna worked part time teaching while Jimmy worked full time in film. Donna, shares that in 1991, after a near death experience, she became interested in fine art and took drawing and watercolour painting classes. With this experience, Donna experimented with different painting techniques on paper and fabric. Donna tells of how she retired from teaching in 2008 but continued to participate in the schools as an Artist in Residence. 36:19 - 58:18 Jimmy talks about his work and career history. He shares memories of his experiences as a young boy delivering newspapers, working at a local pharmacy, stocking shelves at the local supermarket, and his experience working with troubled youth and of how he thought that he might like to become a social worker. Jimmy tells of how he was uncertain of what to do until he got a job with the CBC in 1973 which eventually launched his career as a property master in the film industry, becoming a member of IATSE and a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures. Jimmy describes in detail what it means to be a property master and the work that is entailed in the film industry. 58:19 - 1:07:45 Donna Polos describes her art practice and her connection to Burnaby. Donna recollects how she first started working with textiles and fabrics from a young age and how this later inspired her to develop her own watercolour techniques of painting on paper, canvas and fabrics. Donna describes how she first got started by taking art classes in Burnaby and now has over 31 years of experience working in watercolour. Donna has worked as an Artist in Residence in Burnaby schools, been a member of the Burnaby Arts Council, had her first show in 1997 and has been involved in many art projects over the years. Donna describes the style of her work, first starting with more figurative work, social commentary and still life and that now most of her work is landscape based. Donna coveys that as a political activist in Burnaby, she was an active participant in the development of a tree bylaw, has petitioned to protect renters from demo-evictions and the impacts of future development on the local environment. 1:07:46 - 1:07:59 Background discussion between Denise Fong and Kate Petrusa re interviews. 1:08:00 - 1:26:36 Jimmy provides information on his connection to the local film industry and the changes that have occurred over the years. Jimmy describes the first studios on the North Shore and the eventual establishment of Bridge Studios on Boundary Road. Jimmy shares that in 1988, he and some of his colleagues in the film industry put a proposal together to buy the Bridge Studios but it didn't go through. Since the Bridge Studios and other film studios have been established in Burnaby and Vancouver, the industry has grown exponentially. Jimmy became the 54th member of the local IATSE union. Jimmy describes some of his experiences working on various productions including "Seven Years in Tibet", provides a description of what a film studio is, how it is used and the differences between working in the film industry in the United States and British Columbia. 1:26:37 - 1:32:46 Jimmy and Donna recollect how they first met, buying a house in Burnaby, getting married and starting a family. The two share memories of their wedding in White Rock and Jimmy talks about the Chinese hair cutting ceremony in recognition of their first born child that took place in Chinatown in Vancouver. Jimmy tells of how his parents had hopes of him marrying a Chinese woman and his mother began introducing him to a few young Chinese women from the time he was 16 years old. Jimmy mentions that his parents rarely used Western Medicine and relied on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Donna and Jimmy talk about Jimmy's parents, when they died and how happy his parents were to have grandchildren. 1:32:47 - 1:40:13 Jimmy and Donna talk about their house on Victory Street which they purchased in 1976. They share information on the history of the house, how it was built in 1939 by Norm Clark, how they fell in love with the design of the house and the neighbourhood. 1:40:14 - 1:58:31 Jimmy and Donna share information on their family life in Burnaby, their neighbourhood and favourite places in Burnaby. Donna lists the schools that their three children attended including; Nelson Avenue School, Burnaby South High School and Burnaby Central High School. Both Donna and Jimmy convey that all of their children played soccer and the benefits that the sport provided them. Donna and Jimmy talk about how the neighbourhood has changed over the years, the benefits of where they live, their fondness for built heritage and the many parks and trees in Burnaby. 1:58:32 - 2:02:50 Jimmy begins to share information on his father, Robin Chung Dip Chow's employment history. Jimmy recalls that his father, Robin worked in a variety of jobs over the years and as a young child, Jimmy was uncertain of what his father's job was but thought that he worked in accounting. He mentions that his father stopped working at 45 years of age due to a problem with his Achilles tendon. Jimmy describes his father as an intellectual who worked at gambling houses in Vancouver's Chinatown where people played mah-jong and fan-tan. Jimmy recollects that these were large clubs with lots of employees. His father never gambled but he was good with money so he worked on the management side. Jimmy mentions that while working in the film industry, his father took him and some of his film colleagues into some of the gambling houses in Chinatown to assist them with a production that they were working on. 2:02:51 - 2:06:58 Donna shares her own family history regarding gambling. She mentions that her uncle worked as a high end "bookie" in Vancouver and how in 1968, her uncle was arrested but got let go with just a small fine. Jimmy describes what gambling was like in those days with various sweepstakes, not under the jurisdiction of the government like it is today. Both Donna and Jimmy recollect the popularity of supper clubs their memories of Vie's Chicken and Steak House that was located in Hogan's Alley. Jimmy laments the destruction of Hogan's Alley and the other proposals that were brought forward that would change Chinatown and Strathcona.

History: Interviewees biography: Hipman "Jimmy" Chow was born in Lin Pong Lee, Hoiping, China in 1948. In 1950, Jimmy Chow immigrated to Vancouver from China with his mother, Gim Gee Chow to join his father, Robin Chung Dip Chow who'd immigrated to Canada at 14 years of age in 1921. For the first four years after immigrating, Jimmy and his parents lived in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec before returning to Vancouver around 1954. Jimmy and his family then lived and worked in Vancouver eventually settling in the neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant. In the early 1970s, Jimmy met his future wife Donna Polos and they married in 1981. Donna Polos was born in 1949 to Donald James Polos and Mayme "May" Helen Tilikana Polos and grew up in Vancouver. Between the age of 5 and 21 years, Donna lived in the neighbourhood of Joyce Station. In 1976, Jimmy and Donna purchased and moved into a house on Victory Street in Burnaby where they still live today. While living on Victory Street, they've raised their three children. Donna received her teaching degree and taught in elementary schools for many years. In 1991, after a near death experience, Donna developed an interest in drawing and painting and began experimenting with water colour painting on fabric. Donna has since exhibited her work widely, participated as an Artist in Residence in Burnaby schools and is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. Jimmy entered the film industry in 1973, gaining experience and recognition as a property master and has worked on many films over a 45 year career. Interviewer biography: Denise Fong is a historical researcher at Burnaby Village Museum. She has degrees in Anthropology (BA) and Archaeology (MA), and is completing her doctoral degree at UBC in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her primary research interests are in Chinese Canadian history and critical heritage studies. She is the co-curator of BVM’s “Across the Pacific” exhibition, and the Museum of Vancouver’s “A Seat at the Table – Chinese Immigration and British Columbia”.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial - Restaurants; Buildings - Residential; Buildings - Residential - Houses; Education; Geographic Features - Parks; Geographic Features - Neighbourhoods; Government - Local Government; Industries - Film; Migration; Occupations; Occupations - Artists; Occupations - Grocers; Occupations - Entrepreneurs; Occupations - Teachers; Persons - Chinese Canadians; Social Issues - Racism; Sports - Soccer

Names: Bridge Studios; Chow, Gim Gee Dang; Chow, Hipman "Jimmy"; Chow, Robin Chung Dip; Polos, Donna; Polos, James "Jimmy", 1898-1962; Polos, Donald James; Polos, Mayme "May" Helen Tilikana

Geographic Access: Victory Street

Accession Code: BV022.21.1

Date: 29 Jun. 2022

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of recording; Hipman "Jimmy" Chow's name in Cantonese is Chow Hipman and in Mandarin is Zhou Xiamin.

Images

Audio Tracks

Oral history interview with Hipman

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0021_0001_004.mp3

Are we really changing? Reflections on Reconciliation

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15669

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 12 May 2021

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (91 min., 26 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke. The webinar is titled "Are We Really Changing? Reflections on Reconciliation" and is presented by Brandon Gabriel, visual arts from the Kwantlen First Nation. The Zoom webinar is the sixt…

1 image 1 video

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Burnaby Neighbourhood Speaker Series series

Subseries: Neighbourhood Speaker Series - Spring 2021 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (91 min., 26 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Material Details: Presenter: Brandon Gabriel; Host: Jane Lemke; Date of Presentation: Wednesday, May 12, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm; Total Number of tracks: 1; Total Length of all tracks: min., sec.; Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform; Recording Note: Film was edited from it's original recorded version (92 min., 31 sec.) to edited version (91 min., 26 sec.) for public viewing on Heritage Burnaby.

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke. The webinar is titled "Are We Really Changing? Reflections on Reconciliation" and is presented by Brandon Gabriel, visual arts from the Kwantlen First Nation. The Zoom webinar is the sixth 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 and comments during the interactive online sessions. In this webinar, Brandon supports his presentation with slides and explores the following questions; If we have not changed the way we introduce ourselves to each other and this land then what are we reconciling?" and "If resource exploitation, racism and colonization continue today, how can we change?" Brandon Gabriel, mixed-media artist and activist, looks back at some highlights of his twenty seven year artistic journey and shares what you can do to tackle reconciliation in your own life. Brandon presents counter narratives speaking to the importance of: Land; Languages; Colonial Annihilation and Indigenous Resurgence. Brandon pauses half way through his presentation to ask and reflect on the question "How far back do you know your ancestors on your mother's side?". While listeners are reflecting, Brandon shares a recording of Dennis Leon of Kwantlen First Nation performing the song “True Love”. Following this, Brandon takes questions from the audience and comments on the importance of matriarchal lineage in indigenous culture. In the second half of the presentation, Brandon talks about his own art and shares examples of Indigenous artists work including: Bill Reid, Zacharias Kunuk, Marianne Nicholson; Brian Jungan and Rebecca Bellmore. Following the presentation, Brandon Gabriel takes questions from the audience that are moderated by the host, Jane Lemke.

History: Brandon Gabriel is an award winning, and Internationally recognized visual artist from the Kwantlen First Nation, in unceded Fort Langley B.C. Brandon was educated at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (1999-2003) and at Emily Carr University of Art and Design (2003-2006). Brandon has over twenty seven years of professional experience as a designer, wood carver, mixed media sculptor, graphic designer, illustrator, and educator. He has exhibited works in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, South America, the USA, and across Canada.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Indigenous peoples - British Columbia; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Art; Indigenous peoples - Canada - Government relations; Indigenous peoples - Canada - , Treatment of

Names: Kwantlen First Nation; Gabriel, Brandon; Leon, Dennis

Responsibility: Lemke, Jane

Accession Code: BV021.17.6

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 12 May 2021

Media Type: Moving Images

Notes: Title based on content of video recording The following link was shared at the end of the presentation: Kwantlen First Nation: https://www.kwantlenfn.ca/

Images

Video

Are we really changing? Reflections on Reconciliation, 12 May 2021

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2021_0017_0006_002.mp4

Bringing Visibility to the Land: A Tsleil-Waututh Perspective on Community Building

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15665

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 27 Apr. 2021

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (47 min., 39 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke. The webinar is titled "Bringing Visibility to the Land: A Tsleil-Waututh Perspective on Community Building" and is presented by Michelle George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation Cultural and Technic…

1 image 1 video

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Burnaby Neighbourhood Speaker Series series

Subseries: Neighbourhood Speaker Series - Spring 2021 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (47 min., 39 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Material Details: Presenters: Michelle George; Host: Jane Lemke; Date of Presentation: Tuesday, April 27, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm; Total Number of tracks: 1; Total Length of all tracks: 47 min., 39 sec.; Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform; Recording Note: Film was edited from it's original recorded version (63 min., 29 sec.) to edited version (47 min., 39 sec.) for public viewing on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke. The webinar is titled "Bringing Visibility to the Land: A Tsleil-Waututh Perspective on Community Building" and is presented by Michelle George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation Cultural and Technical Specialist. The Zoom webinar is the first 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. In this webinar, Michelle George explores the importance of bringing Tsleil-Waututh ways of knowing/knowledge of the land to Burnaby. She grounds her talk with her experience of working with the Burnaby Village Museum on producing the Indigenous History of Burnaby Resource Guide, an award-winning illustrated educational guide. Michelle also speaks to some of the devastating experiences that the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Indigenous Peoples have suffered since Colonial Settlement and how her Nation has begun to grow in a changing environment. In segments of her talk, Michelle refers to a map titled "Tsleil-Waututh Nation Consultation Area". Following the presentation, Michelle George answers questions from the audience that are moderated by the host, Jane Lemke.

History: Michelle George is a member of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) and currently works as a Tsleil-Waututh Nation Cultural and Technical Specialist for the Treaty, Lands and Resources (TLR) Department. She participates in various projects for the TWN government and community, focusing on Tsleil-Waututh Governance and Community. The goals that she carries in her work are to make sure Tsleil-Waututh culture is included and considered in these Nation-level projects, as well as within the reviews done on external projects within the TWN Consultation area. She has been a member of both the Tsleil-Waututh Land Code Committee and Land Use Planning group. Michelle is also a First Nations Health Authority Traditional Knowledge Keeper, and a past-Elected Councilor for Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Michelle also provides guest lectures at Simon Fraser University, Langara College, and the BC Institute of Technology.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Indigenous peoples - British Columbia; Indigenous peoples - Canada - Government relations; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Languages; Indigenous peoples - Canada - , Treatment of; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - First contact with Europeans

Names: Burnaby Village Museum; Burnaby Public Library; George, Michelle; Tsleil-Waututh Nation; George, Chief Daniel "Dan"

Responsibility: Lemke, Jane

Geographic Access: Burrard Inlet

Accession Code: BV021.17.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 27 Apr. 2021

Media Type: Moving Images

Notes: Title based on contents of video recording

Images

Video

Bringing Visibility to the Land: A Tsleil-Waututh Perspective on Community Building, 27 Apr. 2021

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2021_0017_0001_002.mp4

Since Time-Immemorial: A Look at the Rich Culture of Coast Salish Peoples and its Role at the Museum

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription18876

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 20 Sep. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (97 min., 15 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Indigenous Education Programmer, Nicole Preissl. The webinar is titled "Since Time-Immemorial: A Look at the Rich Culture of Coast Salish Peoples and its Role at the Museum". The webinar is the third in a ser…

1 image 1 video

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Burnaby Neighbourhood Speaker Series series

Subseries: Neighbourhood Speaker Series - Fall 2022 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (97 min., 15 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Material Details: Host: Nicole Preissl; Presenters: Carleen Thomas; Date of Presentation: Tuesday, September 20, 2022. 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm; Total Number of tracks: 1; Total Length of all tracks: 97 min., 15 sec.; Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform; Original recording of 97 min., 15 sec. was edited to 88 min., 50 sec. for viewing on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Indigenous Education Programmer, Nicole Preissl. The webinar is titled "Since Time-Immemorial: A Look at the Rich Culture of Coast Salish Peoples and its Role at the Museum". The webinar is the third in a series of six webinars presented in partnership by Burnaby Village Museum and Burnaby Public Library. 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. In this webinar both Nicole Preissl and guest Carleeen Thomas make presentations. The webinar opens with an introduction by Nicole Preissl. Nicole shares her own Indigenous lineage and background; her educational background and experiences while a student at Emily Carr University; her interest in Indigenous materials practices and her role and experiences as Indigenous Education Programmer at the Burnaby Village Museum along with her ideas and goals for the future. Nicole supports her presentation with a slide show presentation regarding the evolution of the Indigenous Learning House on the site of the Burnaby Village Museum and the many transformations that it has gone through. Nicole shares her vision that is helping to transform the space further into a more inviting, learning and creative space for visitors and Indigenous peoples. Nicole also highlights the work that she’s been involved with to further develop educational programming and partnerships on site and her work to further develop the Indigenous Matriarch’s garden and the cedar grove area to include more Indigenous plants. Carleen provides information on the history of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation “People of the Inlet” and highlights information on land mapping that was created by the Nation during the Land Treaty process in 1980s; the many negative impacts to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation from contact and colonization; findings from archaeological investigations done in the Tsleil-Waututh territory that record village sites, seasonal camps and pictographs; stories associated with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s oral histories including the double-headed serpent; the impacts of contact and development including industrial logging; the many other challenges that the Tsleil-Waututh Nation have faced and the vision and goals for the future. Carleen describes many photographs of people and places in the presentation and provides important stories and oral histories that have been passed down through her family and nation for generations. Following the presentations Nicole and Carleen answer questions from the attendees and comment further on the information that they've shared.

History: Nicole Preissl is Stó:lo from Leq'á:mel First Nation as well as having ancestry from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh First Nation and sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie) First Nation. On her mother's side she is third generation Canadian Settler with European Heritage. Nicole has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Emily Carr University with a Major in Design and has been the Burnaby Village Museum Indigenous Education Programmer since 2022. Carleen Thomas is a Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) member, elder, and current Special Projects Manager for the Treaty, Lands, and Resources department. She is the first Indigenous chancellor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design; educator; former TWN council member of 16 years; has chaired and been a representative on countless committees; and most significantly, grandmother of five amazing grandchildren. Carleen Thomas plays a vital role in her community and is a highly motivated and hardworking individual. Thomas obtained a Bachelors of Education from UBC and has deeply rooted knowledge of her culture and people. Carleen sites her grandparents: Hereditary Chief John L. George & Lillian “Dolly” George and her maternal Grandmother Caroline Thomas (nee: Joseph) as some of her key influences in life. Their teachings, unconditional love, and most of all, patience in guiding and preparing Carleen will last a lifetime. She has created a lasting mark for her family, community and for future generations of Indigenous, Coast Salish and Tsleil-Waututh families.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Indigenous peoples - British Columbia; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Food; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - First contact with Europeans; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Social life and customs; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Art; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Languages; Indigenous peoples - Canada - , Treatment of; Indigenous peoples - Indian Territory; Plants; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Rites and ceremonies; Indigenous peoples - Canada - Government relations; Indigenous peoples

Names: Burnaby Village Museum; Preissl, Nicole; Thomas, Carleen; Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation; Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Accession Code: BV022.27.3

Date: 20 Sep. 2022

Media Type: Moving Images

Notes: Title based on contents of item

Images

Video

Since Time-Immemorial: A Look at the Rich Culture of Coast Salish Peoples and its Role at the Museum, 20 Sep. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2022_0027_0003_002.mp4

Traditional, Ancestral & Unceded: A Conversation on Territorial Acknowledgements

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15664

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 29 Apr. 2021

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (87 min., 17 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum curator, Jane Lemke. The webinar is titled "Traditional, Ancestral & Unceded: A Conversation on Territorial Acknowledgements" and is presented by Fancy Poitras, Indigenous Relations Manager for the City of Bu…

1 image 1 video

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Burnaby Neighbourhood Speaker Series series

Subseries: Neighbourhood Speaker Series - Spring 2021 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (87 min., 17 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Material Details: Presenters: Fancy Poitras and Rebekah Mahaffey; Host: Jane Lemke; Date of Presentation: Thursday, April 29, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm; Total Number of tracks: 1; Total Length of all tracks: 87 min., 17 sec.; Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform; Recording Note: Film was edited from it's original recorded version (95 min., 34 sec.) to edited version (87 min., 17 sec.) for public viewing on Heritage Burnaby. This live recording experienced technical difficulties with the viewer window during the first few minutes of the presentation. This is resolved at 15:36.

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum curator, Jane Lemke. The webinar is titled "Traditional, Ancestral & Unceded: A Conversation on Territorial Acknowledgements" and is presented by Fancy Poitras, Indigenous Relations Manager for the City of Burnaby and Rebekah Mahaffey, Social Planner for the City of Burnaby. The Zoom webinar is the second 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. The webinar opens with host, Jane Lemke providing a Land Acknowlegement "The land on which Burnaby now sits is the ancestral and unceded homelands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples". Jane explains that providing a land acknowledgement is part of the City of Burnaby's official policy and that the land is on the shared territory of many Nations including the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), Kway-quit-lum, Kwantlen, ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Understanding the definitions of language groups, Nations, shared territory and many of the importance words form a basis of the subject matter for this webinar. Fancy Poitras and Rebekah Mahaffey enter a discussion exploring this topic while posing thought provoking questions to each other. As Burnaby's Indigenous Relations Manager, Fancy Poitras conveys her own experiences and knowledge while providing historical references and recommendations for further educational resources around territorial land acknowledgment. Following their discussion, Fancy and Rebekah take questions from the audience that are moderated by the host, Jane Lemke.

History: Fancy Poitras was hired as the City of Burnaby's first Indigenous Relations Manager in 2021. Prior to her role, she worked for the First Nations Health Authority for more than five years, first as a Senior Policy Analyst, then as the Manager and Acting Director of Strategic Policy; throughout her time with FNHA, she worked on an extensive portfolio of health and wellness, and service design and delivery issues, including primary care, cancer, seniors and elders. Fancy has a Master’s degree in Public Policy and a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Social Policy Issues from Simon Fraser University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from University of Alberta. Fancy is a member of Mikisew Cree First Nation, Treaty 8 territory, and she grew up primarily in the Northwest Territories. Rebekah Mahaffey (she, her, hers) is a Social Policy Planner at the City of Burnaby. She is a settler on these lands, and is of mixed French-Scottish-Irish ancestry. She grew up in Indonesia, Libya and England and has called the west coast home for almost 15 years. Rebekah has degrees in International Development, Art History and Urban Planning. In her work she focuses on inter-culturalism, access and inclusion, anti-racism, and working with Burnaby’s 2SLGBTQQIA community. When not at work, she enjoys hiking, reading, and listening to podcasts. She lives in Vancouver with her young child.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Indigenous peoples - British Columbia; Indigenous peoples - Canada - Government relations; Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Languages; Indigenous peoples - Canada - , Treatment of

Names: Poitras, Fancy; Mahaffey, Rebekah; Tsleil-Waututh Nation; ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)

Responsibility: Lemke, Jane

Accession Code: BV021.17.2

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 29 Apr. 2021

Media Type: Moving Images

Notes: Title based on contents of video recording The following links wereshared at the end of the presentation:; My Conversations with Canadians by Lee Maracle: https://bookhugpress.ca/shop/ebooks/essays-ebooks/conversations-with-canadians-by-lee-maracle/; 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph: https://www.ictinc.ca/books/21-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-indian-act; CBC documentary series 8th Fire: https://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/blog/8th-fire-wabs-walk-through-history ‘Whose Land’ App: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/whose-land/id1350310353; “Unreserved” Podcast, Episode: January 20, 2019, ‘Hayden King’: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/redrawing-the-lines-1.4973363/i-regret-it-hayden-king-on-writing-ryerson-university-s-territorial-acknowledgement-1.4973371; Guidelines for Indigenous Territory Acknowledgement http://www.burnaby.ca/Assets/Burnaby+Interagency/Guidelines+for+Indigenous+Territory+Acknowledgement.pdf; United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html; Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action: http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf; Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Calls_for_Justice.pdf

Images

Video

Traditional, Ancestral & Unceded: A Conversation on Territorial Acknowledgements, 29 Apr. 2021

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2021_0017_0002_002.mp4

Inkwells to Internet: A History of Burnaby Schools

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary7551

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Author: Carter, David; Cooke, Rosemary; Pride, Harry, 1925-; White, Janet; Yip, Gail

Publication Date: 2020

Call Number: 371 CAR

SCHOOL WEBSITE ROSSER DREAMCOAT BLOG NELSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WEBSITE SECOND STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COLLECTION SOUTH SLOPE ELEMENTARY SCHOOOL BLOG TAYLOR PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WINDSOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COLLECTION PRIVATE, CORPORATE & GOVERNMENT COLLECTIONS STEVE BAILEY BURNABY FIRE DEPARTMENT LORAINE

1 image 1 digital book

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection: Reference Collection; Digital Reference Collection

Material Type: Book

ISBN: 978-0-9781979-2-6

Call Number: 371 CAR

Author: Carter, David; Cooke, Rosemary; Pride, Harry, 1925-; White, Janet; Yip, Gail

Place of Publication: Burnaby

Publisher: City of Burnaby

Publication Date: 2020

Physical Description: vii, 35 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.

Library Subject (LOC): Burnaby (B.C.)--History; Schools--British Columbia--Burnaby

Subjects: Education

Notes: "Includes index"; A history of the Burnaby school district and individual school buildings in Burnaby, BC, between 1893 and 2013.; The “First Nations cemetery” described on page 109 in Mary Johnson’s recollections was originally written as “Indian” and may refer to the Khalsa Diwan Society’s Sikh cremations at the Vancouver Cemetery.

Images

Digital Books

Rooted : Chinese Canadian stories in Burnaby

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary7646

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Publication Date: 2023

Call Number: 971.133 ROO

to recognize the diverse roots of our community and to share stories of Burnaby’s unique history. The publication has been timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Chinese Exclusion Act by the Government of Canada in 1923. This federal legislation followed decades of discrim

1 image 2 digital books

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection: Digital Reference Collection

Material Type: Digital Resource

ISBN: 978-0-9689849-2-5

Call Number: 971.133 ROO

Contributor: Fong, Denise; Lemke, Jane; Codd, Lisa

Place of Publication: Burnaby

Publisher: City of Burnaby

Publication Date: 2023

Printer: Metropolitan Fine Printers

Physical Description: 203 p. : ill. ; 30.5 cm

Library Subject (LOC): Chinese Canadians--British Columbia--Burnaby--History; Race discrimination -- Canada

Subjects: Persons - Chinese Canadians; Agriculture; Agriculture - Farms; Persons - Families; Rights; Rights - Human Rights; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism

Notes: There are two versions of the book: English and Simplified Chinese (left, below) and the other in English and Traditional Chinese (right, below).; From the late 1800s to the present day, Chinese Canadians have made Burnaby into a more vibrant and livable city. Rooted: Chinese Canadian Stories in Burnaby brings together a collection of diverse stories and photographs from the community, celebrating the legacy and contributions of Burnaby’s Chinese Canadian community spanning over a century. This coffee-table book features oral histories and interviews with descendants of multigenerational family farms, green grocers, corner stores, restaurants, and places of worship. Also included are archival research and community perspectives on anti-Asian racism, community activism, courage, and resilience.; The publication has been timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Chinese Exclusion Act by the Government of Canada in 1923. This federal legislation followed decades of discriminatory legislation by Canada’s federal, provincial and municipal governments that targeted Chinese Canadians by limiting opportunities to live, work and raise families in Canada. The Chinese Exclusion Act banned almost all migration from China and remained in place until 1947. Publishing this book in 2023 is an effort by the City of Burnaby to recognize the impact of discriminatory legislation on Chinese Canadians in our community, including discriminatory bylaws and practices implemented by Burnaby’s early municipal government.; Edited by Denise Fong (Lead Researcher), Jane Lemke (Burnaby Village Museum Curator) and Lisa Codd (City of Burnaby Heritage Planner).

Images

Digital Books

971-133_ROO-Simplified%20SINGLE%20COVER pdf thumbnail

971-133_ROO-Traditional%20SINGLE%20COVER pdf thumbnail

Chinese Canadian history in Burnaby resource guide

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary7608

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Publication Date: [2022]

Call Number: 971.1 CHI

the world, including Chinese miners and entrepreneurs. As a result of the gold rush, Great Britain claimed the mainland of British Columbia as a colony and began setting up its own government and laws and encouraging settlers to make it their permanent home. Some Chinese men worked in the coal mining

1 image 1 digital book

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection: Digital Reference Collection

Material Type: Digital Resource

Accession Code: BV022.8.1

Call Number: 971.1 CHI

Contributor: City of Burnaby

Place of Publication: Burnaby, BC

Publisher: City of Burnaby

Publication Date: [2022]

Physical Description: 36 p. ; ill. (some col.), maps, ports

Library Subject (LOC): Burnaby (B.C.)--History; Burnaby (B.C.)--Social Life and Customs; Chinese Canadians--British Columbia--Burnaby--History; Chinese--British Columbia--History; Pharmacy--Canada; Pharmacy--United States; Pharmaceutical museums; Directories

Object History: Chinese Canadians have contributed to Burnaby’s growth for over a century. The long and intertwining histories between Chinese Canadians, Indigenous people and other communities have shaped the founding of Burnaby and British Columbia. This resource guide was created because their life experiences and important contributions to Burnaby’s development are not widely known.

Images

Digital Books

Interview with Dr. John Yang by Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription14277

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: August 2020

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (66 min., 57 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a Zoom interview with Dr, John Yang conducted by Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong, UBC students in the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems. The interview was conducted with Dr. Yang as part of the students' research for "Chinese Herbalist Shops and TCM", part three i…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: UBC Partnership series

Subseries: Back to the Roots Podcast series - 2020 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (66 min., 57 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo

Material Details: Interviewers: Rose Wu; Wei Yan Yeong Interviewee: Dr. John Yang Interview Date: August 2020 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all tracks: 01:06:57 Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a Zoom interview with Dr, John Yang conducted by Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong, UBC students in the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems. The interview was conducted with Dr. Yang as part of the students' research for "Chinese Herbalist Shops and TCM", part three in a series of "Back to the Roots" podcasts. The podcast series explores the history of Chinese-Canadian farming in Burnaby and the lower mainland. In this series the students connected their knowledge of food systems to their shared Chinese heritage in order to discover how Chinese Canadian history is rooted in their local food systems. The majority of the interview was conducted in english with occasional comments spoken in mandarin by Wei Yan Yeong and Dr. John Yang. 00:00 – 15:13 The video interview opens with Wei Yan Yeong providing a brief synopsis of the project that she is working on in partnership with Rose Wu. She explains to Dr. John Yang that the content from this interview will help inform podcast episode number three “Chinse Herbalist Shops and TCM”. Dr. Yang responds to questions asked by Wei Yan and Rose. Dr. Yang explains why he first came to Canada from China more than thirty years ago and provides information on his educational background. He describes how he first earned a degree in western medicine in China and became an assistant professor at a medical school before turning to study Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by completing a PHD from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. When he immigrated to Canada with his wife more than thirty years ago, he decided to continue to practice TCM . 15:14 – 21:53 In this segment of the interview, Rose Wu asks if he joined an existing TCM business or whether he started his own practice. Dr. Yang explains that he practiced on his own and that TCM wasn’t licensed in Canada until 1996. He further explains how Western medicine was the only regulated medical practice used in Canada and it took a long time to lobby the government to recognize the benefits of TCM and why it should be a licensed profession. 21:58 – 25:00 In this segment of the interview Dr. Yang speaks about his experience as a doctor of TCM in Burnaby, his role as the president of the Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Colleges of Canada and how they lobbied the government for more recognition and his professional work as a dean and clinical director of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Traditional Chinese Medicine program. 27:36 – 47:07 In this segment Dr. Yang explains how Traditional Chinese Medicine is ingrained in the Chinese culture and part of daily life which is why many Chinese immigrants rely on TCM to protect their immune system. He explains how TCM is based on four different energies (cold, hot, warm and cool) and different from traditional western medicine. He provides examples of different energies from certain foods. 47:08 – 52:13 In this segment, Dr. Yang speaks about his experience as a practitioner of TCM in the treatment of patients, how many of his patients are not Chinese and how he treats many of his patients with acupuncture. Dr. Yang provides an example of a patient being treated with acupuncture for a frozen shoulder. 52:14 – 56:43 In this segment, Dr. Yang is asked if he also uses Western medicine. Dr. Yang shares his positive experiences treating fever with acupuncture and how growing up in China that there was no access to western medicine – no antibiotics or penicillin until the last 50 years or so. He explains that this is why Chinese people have always relied on TCM. 56:44 - 1:06:57 Dr. Yang provides information on the education required to become a registered acupuncturist and a licensed TCM practitioner. He explains that herbs used in TCM can be purchased from herbalist shops in Chinatown or you can purchase concentrations of the herbs directly from your TCM doctor. He clarifies how animal products that are restricted (including shark fins) are no longer included for treatments in TCM, all TCM herbs are regulated in Canada by the FDA whereas herbs that you buy in Chinatown are treated as food and not drugs.

History: Interviewer biographies: Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong are University of British Columbia students in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and student interns at Burnaby Village Museum. Interviewee biography: Dr. John Yang is a chairperson and program director of Kwantlen Polytechnic University's Traditional Chinese Medicine program. Dr. John Yang graduated from Hainan University Medical School, Haikou, China. He received his TCM training at Hainan Provincial Hospital of TCM, Haikou, China and a PhD from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, China. For the past 11 years, John has been the Dean and Clinic Director at the PCU College of Holistic Medicine, Burnaby. As an expert in the field, John has given many national and international presentations and lectures on TCM. Dr. Yang is the current Vice-President at the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture of British Columbia (ATCMA). He is also the Chair of the Academic/Educational Committee of ATCMA. Dr. Yang is the current President of the Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Colleges of Canada and a committee member on the Standards Council of Canada, Canadian Advisory Committees for International Organization for Standardization for TCM. John was elected as professional board member at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia (CTCMA). He was also a member of the Audit Team (Topic Specialist) for the Private Career Training Institution Agency of British Columbia (PCTIA), along with numerous past appointments to other TCM provincial, national and international committees.

Subjects: Persons - Chinese Canadians; Social Issues - Discrimination; Social Issues - Racism; Public Services - Health Services; Regulations

Names: Yang, Dr. John; Yeong, Wei Yan; Wu, Rose

Accession Code: BV020.28.1

Access Restriction: Restricted access

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: August 2020

Media Type: Moving Images

Related Material: BV020.28.5

Notes: Title based on contents of video recording; For recording of podcast "Chinese Herbalist Shops and TCM" - see BV020.28.5; Contact Burnaby Village Museum to view content

Images

Interview with Dr. John Yang by Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong, August 2020 thumbnail

A Family Farm

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription14268

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 2020

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:13:57 min)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of part one in a series of three “Back to the Roots” podcasts about the history of Chinese-Canadian farming in Burnaby and the lower mainland. Part one is titled “A Family Farm”. The podcasts were created by students Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong from the Faculty of Land an…

1 image 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: UBC Partnership series

Subseries: Back to the Roots Podcast series - 2020 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:13:57 min)

Material Details: Podcasts hosts: Rose Wu; Wei Yan Yeong Persons from recorded extracts: Denise Fong; Josephine Chow Music: prod. riddiman Podcast Date: October 2020 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all tracks: 00:13:57 min Photograph info: Store front of Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee & Co in Victoria, B.C., 1975. BV017.7.191

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of part one in a series of three “Back to the Roots” podcasts about the history of Chinese-Canadian farming in Burnaby and the lower mainland. Part one is titled “A Family Farm”. The podcasts were created by students Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia Faculty and while student interns at Burnaby Village Museum. In this series the students connect their knowledge of food systems to their shared Chinese heritage in order to discover how Chinese Canadian history is rooted in their local food systems. 00:00-02:21 The podcast opens with Wei Yan Yeong and Rose Wu introducing themselves and their topic- the Chinese Canadian experience in Burnaby and the people who have made important contributions to the city’s development. “A Family Farm” talks about Chinese-owned businesses which are family run. “The family-oriented nature of Chinese-owned businesses also extend to many of the early (and current) Chinese-owned farms in the Burnaby Big Bend area. When Chinese men first began farming in BC in the 1860s, a lot of them worked as labourers because they weren’t allowed to own land. After World War II many of these farmers were allowed to purchase lots, thanks to the Veterans Land Grant. These grants allowed returning veterans to purchase small parcels of land with government loans. Eventually, these men would start families on the farm, and many Chinese-owned farms became family-operated businesses where every member, male, female, child, and extended relatives were enlisted to work the grounds. And it was hard work, often from dawn to dusk, 6-7 days a week.” 02:23 – 07:50 This portion includes excerpts from Oral History interview with Josephine Chow (nee Hong) of Hop On Farms in the Burnaby Big Bend area. The interview was conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong. Josephine recalls growing up on the family farm with her six siblings. She tells of how the family pulled together money to purchase twelve acres along Marine Drive in 1951, her family’s background, daily life on the farm , responsibilities on the farm for her and her siblings and of how her mother had to balance working on the farm and providing for a family of ten to twelve people. 07:51 – 08:10 In this portion, hosts comment and reflect on their own experiences. “While it’s likely that a lot of this was done out of necessity and not being able to afford additional paid labourers, having grown up in Chinese households ourselves, we can definitely understand the rationale for these family-operated businesses and how it connects back to the Chinese understanding of family and kinship.” 08:11 – 09:06 In this portion, Rose and Wei provide information on the roots of the Chinese character for family “jia” in mandarin or “gah” in Cantonese. They explain that the term family is composed of two parts: the upper element is like a roof, symbolizing shelter, and the bottom part represents a pig which symbolizes food, whereby the Chinese character for family represents that of a farm. They provide a quote from the writings of Francois de Martin-Donos “In ancient China, the farm is an enterprise, a shelter that insures one food and work. The farm is a place to rely on, but in return, needs to be maintained, including a set of responsibilities. In other words, “family” is the insurance of a stable life.” 09:07 – 10:27 In this portion, the hosts speak about how traditional Chinese thought is heavily influenced by the teachings of Confucius and Confucius philosophy. They explain how Confucius emphasized five sets of human relationships that form the basis for society: ruler and minister, husband and wife, parents and child, sibling and sibling, friend and friend. Of these five, three are familial relationships also known as Filial piety – the respect and care for one’s familial superiors (such as parents, elders, and ancestors). They speak of how this is one of Confucianism’s main teachings and in this respect caring for family members is seen as a moral obligation. In China housing arrangements are in the form of siheyuan”s — a type of residence that featured a courtyard surrounded on all four sides with buildings. These traditionally housed one large extended family if they were wealthy enough. 10:28 – 13:08 In this portion, hosts provide further information on Josephine Chow’s family experience working and living on the “Hop On” family farm through the decades. An excerpt from the interview with Josephine Chow conducted by Denise Fong is included. In this excerpt, Josephine reflects on her past experiences on the farm and her present day experiences of her siblings running the farm. 13:09 -13:56 Final summary, credits and acknowledgements.

History: Podcast hosts, Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong are University of British Columbia students in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and student interns at Burnaby Village Museum.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Persons - Chinese Canadians; Agriculture - Farms; Agriculture; Gardens - Market Gardens; Social Issues - Discrimination; Social Issues - Racism

Names: Fong, Denise

Responsibility: Wu, Rose; Yeong, Wei Yan

Geographic Access: Marine Drive

Accession Code: BV020.28.3

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 2020

Media Type: Sound Recording

Historic Neighbourhood: Fraser Arm (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Big Bend Area

Related Material: BV020.28.4; BV020.28.5

Notes: Title based contents of sound recording; See also Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong February 7, 2020 - BV020.6.1; Compilation of Research Resources used by authors Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong include:; Why is family important in China? https://medium.com/@francois_dmd/why-is-family-so-important-in-china-1617b13a67; Burnaby Village Museum - Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong Feb. 7, 2020. BV020.6.1 https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumsoundrecording12337; Covered Roots: The History of Vancouver's Chinese Farms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4WHS2Uf3JU; Burnaby Village Museum Shares Chinese-Canadian Farming History This Summer https://westcoastfood.ca/burnaby-village-museum-shares-chinese-canadian-farming-history-this-summer/; Chinese Market Gardeners in the City of Burnaby BC Continue to Practice Urban Agriculture https://cityfarmer.info/chinese-market-gardeners-in-the-city-of-burnaby-bc-continue-to-practice-urban-agriculture/; Chinese Market Gardening in BC https://www.bcfoodhistory.ca/chinese-market-gardening-bc/

Images

Audio Tracks

A Family Farm, 2020

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Sound_Recordings/2020_0028_0003_001.mp3

An official handbook of information relating to the Dominion of Canada

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary2780

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Publication Date: 1892

Call Number: 971 CAN

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection: Special Collection

Material Type: Book

Accession Code: HV973.26.34

Call Number: 971 CAN

Contributor: Canada. Department of Agriculture

Place of Publication: Ottawa

Publisher: Canada. Department of Agriculture

Publication Date: 1892

Physical Description: iv, 94 p. : ill., coat of arms, map ; 21 cm.

Inscription: Numbers and equations written in pencil on front and back covers.

Library Subject (LOC): Canada--Description and travel; Canada--Emigration and immigration

Notes: "Published with the approval of Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies by the Government of Canada (Department of Agriculture)" --t.p.

Chinese Herbalist Shops and TCM

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription14274

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 2020

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:16:19 min)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of part three in a series of three “Back to the Roots” podcasts where the hosts Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong, "Dig up the roots of the past to unearth the foundations of the Chinese Canadian experience in Burnaby." This episode three is titled "Chinese Herbalist Shops and …

1 image 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: UBC Partnership series

Subseries: Back to the Roots Podcast series - 2020 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:16:19 min)

Material Details: Podcasts hosts: Rose Wu; Wei Yan Yeong Persons from recorded extracts: Denise Fong; Josephine Chow; Julie Lee Guest: Dr. John Yang Podcast Date: October 2020 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all tracks: 00:16:19 min Photograph info: Store front of Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee & Co in Victoria, B.C., 1975. BV017.7.191

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of part three in a series of three “Back to the Roots” podcasts where the hosts Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong, "Dig up the roots of the past to unearth the foundations of the Chinese Canadian experience in Burnaby." This episode three is titled "Chinese Herbalist Shops and TCM". The podcasts were created by students Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia Faculty and while student interns at Burnaby Village Museum. In this series the students connect their knowledge of food systems to their shared Chinese heritage in order to discover how Chinese Canadian history is rooted in their local food systems. 00:00 - 01:34 Podcast opens with an introduction to this episode in the podcast series. 01:35 - 03:43 This portion of the podcast consists of segments of pre-recorded interviews between Denise Fong and Chinese-Canadians Julie Lee and Josephine Chow who grew up in Burnaby. Josephine and Jule recall visiting herbalist shops in Vancouver's Chinatown during the nineteen fifties and sixties. Due to the lack of herbalist shops in the Burnaby community during that time, it was common for a Chinese farming family to travel to Vancouver’s Chinatown in order to obtain herbal prescriptions or dried goods. Julie speaks briefly about what the type of Traditional Chinese medical care and advice her mother and family received. Josephine Chow tells of a female Chinese doctor from Vancouver, Madeline Chung who was responsible for delivering a lot of Chinese babies including Josephine and describes how her mother would take members of the family to the herbalist in Vancouver's Chinatown. 03:44 - 04:44 In this portion, the hosts tell of how aside from its medicinal purposes, herbalist shops also have a major socio-cultural significance to the Chinese community. The hosts describe the traditional layout of Chinese herblist shops, with a table set up for the game Ma Jong in the back and a seating area where customers could chat while waiting and be served tea. The hosts provide an example of the "Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee & Co." herbalist shop in Victoria that was open between 1905 and 1967 and of how the shop and contents are now part of a permanent exhibit at the Burnaby Village Museum. 04:45 - 09:21 In this portion, the hosts describe "Traditional Chinese Medicine" also known as "TCM". In order to better understand the importance of TCM in Chinese culture, and specifically to Chinese-Canadian immigrants, the hosts interview Dr John Yang, the chairperson and program director of Kwantlen Polytechnic University's TCM program. Holding a PHD in TCM before migrating with his family to Canada, Dr Yang came here 30 years ago and immediately started his journey as a TCM practitioner at his home basement in Burnaby. Dr. Yang tells of how he worked with the lobbying group, ATCMA (The British Columbia Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Practitioners) to help legitimize TCM as a recognized form of medical health care. In 1996, the Canadian government finally approved the legitimization of TCM in Canada, where one is required to take a licensing exam before they’re allowed to start their practices in Canada. 09:22 - 15:17 In this portion of the podcast, Dr. Yang and hosts describe how Traditional Chinese Medicine and treatments differ from Western medicine, how TCM is a way of life and regularly incorporated into recipes and diets, the lack of social acceptance and the import of Chinese medicinal herbs and misconceptions. 15:18 - 16:19 Conclusion, credits and acknowledgements.

History: Podcast hosts, Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong are University of British Columbia students in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and student interns at Burnaby Village Museum.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Persons - Chinese Canadians; Social Issues - Discrimination; Social Issues - Racism; Public Services - Health Services

Names: Lee, Julie Cho Chan; Chow, Josephine; Fong, Denise; Yang, Dr. John; Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee & Company; Burnaby Village Museum

Responsibility: Wu, Rose; Yeong, Wei Yan

Accession Code: BV020.28.5

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 2020

Media Type: Sound Recording

Related Material: BV020.28.3; BV020.28.4

Notes: Title based contents of sound recording; See also Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong February 7, 2020 - BV020.6.1; Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020 - BV020.6.2; For associated video recording of research interview with Dr. John Yang - see BV020.28.1; Compilation of Research Resources used by authors Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong include:; B.C. to recognize doctors of Chinese medicine: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/b-c-to-recognize-doctors-of-chinese-medicine-1.396806; B.C. takes steps to legitimize traditional Chinese medicine: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/bc-takes-steps-to-legitimize-traditional-chinese-medicine/article18428851/; Traditional Chinese medicine moves into the mainstream https://www.straight.com/life/415386/traditional-chinese-medicine-moves-mainstream; Burnaby Village Museum - Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong Feb. 7, 2020. BV020.6.1 https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumsoundrecording12337; Burnaby Village Museum, Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong Feb. 6, 2020. BV020.6.2 https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumsoundrecording12338

Images

Audio Tracks

Chinese Herbalist Shops and TCM, 2020

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Sound_Recordings/2020_0028_0005_001.mp3

Hawkshaw family fonds

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19354

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1888-1976, predominant 1931-1939

Collection/Fonds: Hawkshaw family fonds

Description Level: Fonds

Physical Description: 1 album (284 photographs) + 19 photographs + 17.5 cm of textual records

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of family photographs including a photograph album created by Crichton Hawkshaw, correspendence, reports and literary works created by and belonging to Mabel Hawkshaw and a series of photographs documenting special events in Burnaby including, Burnaby's first May Day in 1925 and a v…

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Hawkshaw family fonds

Description Level: Fonds

Physical Description: 1 album (284 photographs) + 19 photographs + 17.5 cm of textual records

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of family photographs including a photograph album created by Crichton Hawkshaw, correspendence, reports and literary works created by and belonging to Mabel Hawkshaw and a series of photographs documenting special events in Burnaby including, Burnaby's first May Day in 1925 and a visit to Burnaby by Governor-General Lord Willingon in 1928. Fonds is arranged into series: 1) Hawkshaw family photographs series 2) Mabel Hawkshaw records series 3) Burnaby events photographs series

History: Mabel Edith Honor McClean Hawkshaw (1886-1946) was born in Wexford, Ireland to parents, Washington Gilliland McClean and Honor Delamore McClean (nee Thomas). Mabel's parents had four children; Charles Gilliland McClean; Elsie (Rae); Evangeline Mai (Goff) and Mabel Honor (Hawkshaw). Mabel emigrated from Ireland to Canada with her family in 1903 and the family moved to Vancouver in 1905. In 1909, Mabel married John Edward “Jack” Hawkshaw. Mabel and Jack Hawkshaw had three children; Richard “Crichton” Gilliand Hawkshaw (1912-1972); Edward Delamere “Dal” Burrington Hawkshaw (1914-1988) and Merton Cedric “Cedric” Perry Hawkshaw (1924-2008). Prior to her marriage in 1909, Mabel Hawkshaw worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway in Revelstoke. Mabel was founder and publisher of the “Burnaby Post” newspaper (1922-1937) and wrote articles for city dailies and magazines under the pen name “Percy Egerton Sterling”. Mabel also worked as the first female bank teller in Canada and was the first female censor of motion pictures in British Columbia (1928-1946) and also worked as an assistant advertising manager of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Among other accomplishments, Mabel was the chairperson of the committee for Burnaby's first May Day event in 1925, was active as a leader in the Girl Guides, a member of several women's clubs, a speaker on matters of education and film production in Vancouver and Victoria and was also a member of the Juvenile Court in Burnaby and the I.O.D.E. At time of her death in 1946, Mabel was living on West 57th Street, Vancouver. John Edward “Jack” Hawkshaw (1881-1934) who was born in Glanworth Ontario to Captain William Stearne Hawkshaw and Elizabeth Merton Hawkshaw (nee Shore). Jack came to Vancouver in 1900 and soon after arriving, Jack moved to the Yukon where he worked for the Canadian Bank of Commerce serving in Dawson and White Horse. He returned to Vancouver in 1904 and joined the newly-organized Northern Bank. In 1906, Jack became a bank manager in New Westminster and later was manager in New Westminster for the Northern Crown Bank. Jack resigned from the bank in 1914 to fight in World War I and moved his family to Calgary where he began his military training. In 1915, Jack was stricken with polio which left him crippled in one leg barring him from active service. In the 1920’s, he worked as a treasurer for the Royal City Canning Co. and Cunningham Trapp Hardware Company. In 1933, Jack worked as an accountant treasurer for the Crane Shipyards. Jack Hawkshaw was a member of the Canadian Credit Men’s Association of Burnaby and the Kiwanis Club of New Westminster. In May 1934, Mabel and Jack purchased property on Lasqueti Island with a sheep ranch. One month after purchasing the property Jack Hawkshaw died tragically in an accident on the island when he was thrown from a horse drawn carriage with his ten year old son Cedric. Cedric survived the accident but his father died on the dock on Lasqueti Island. The family dog, Dixie also died after she swam after the fishing boat carrying Jack Hawkshaw’s body and Cedric to the mainland for medical attention. John and Mabel’s first home was located at 309 Pine Street in New Westminster. In 1920, the family relocated to 763 Wedgewood, Burnaby (later renumbered 7743 Wedgewood Street) where they lived until 1931. In 1932, the Hawkshaw family moved to Vancouver where they resided in different locations until after the death of Jack Hawkshaw. Mabel continued to operate the sheep ranch on Lasquesti after Jack died in 1934, with a succession of tenants until Mabel’s death in 1946. In 1936, Mabel moved back to Burnaby for a few years, residing at 5590 Douglas Road in 1936 and 3908 Deer Lake Avenue in 1937 (Heritage home known as the R.F. Anderson House). In 1938 Mabel moved back to Vancouver where she lived until her death in 1946. Richard “Crichton” Gilliland Hawkshaw (1912-1972) married Ivy Ina Hawkshaw (nee Hughes) (1913-1987) at St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Vancouver in 1939. Crichton enlisted with the Canadian military and trained at Shilo and Sarcee military bases. Following his military training, Crichton got work as an operator in the mill at Britannia Beach mine where he worked between 1938 and 1949. Crichton and Ivy Hawkshaw lived at Britannia Beach during the time he worked there. Ivy and Crichton had two sons, Bruce and Dick Hawkshaw. After Britannia Beach, the family lived in Abbotsford and Chilliwack before moving to North Vancouver. Prior to his death in 1972, Crichton Hawkshaw worked as an auditor for the Government of British Columbia in the Internal Revenue Department. Crichton was a member of Abbotsford Masonic Lodge No. 70, past patron of the Order of the Eastern Star, member of the North Shore Shrine Club and Upper Fraser Valley Shrine Club and Gizeh Shrine Temple. He was also a devoted fan and supporter of the B.C. Lions football team. Edward Delamere “Dal” Burrington Hawkshaw (1914-1988) married Barbara Walters Fry (1913-2001) in 1940. The couple had three children; Nancy Susan, Peter Burrington and John Edward (who died in infancy). Dal Hawkshaw worked as a financial consultant with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. In his free time, Dal served on the board of the Goodwill Enterprises for the Handicapped, the Victoria Symphony Society and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Dal was the first honorary treasurer of the University of Victoria and served on the advisory council and as a trustee of the British Columbia Institute of Technology. In 1985, Dal Hawkshaw was named an honorary citizen of British Columbia. Merton "Cedric" Perry Hawkshaw (1924-2008) married Carol Violet (Worrall) Hawkshaw (1923-1985) in 1947 (Carol remarried later to Jack Madsen). The couple had three children, Frances Jacqueline (b. 1948) and Geraldine Lucy (b.1952), and Barry (b.1957). ). Cedric was a member of the Old Boys Association of St. Georges School, served in the Navy (DEMS) and was a proud veteran of WWII. When the war ended he saved enough money to purchase a home in Burnaby on acreage which he sold soon after and relocated to Armstrong Street, Burnaby. Cedric worked for his father in law at William Worrall furniture. After the company closed in 1959, he worked in the furniture department at T. Eaton Co., West Vancouver. Cedric retired at a young age to run and live on the Hawkshaw Ranch on Lasqueti Island where he spent many years before returning to the mainland due to health issues. He lived at George Derby Veterans Centre for 17 years. While living at George Derby, Cedric was involved in Arts and Crafts, creating works in ceramic and textiles.

Creator: Hawkshaw, Richard Crichton Gilliland "Crichton"; Hawkshaw, Mabel Edith Honor McClean

Accession Code: HV977.17; HV982.25; BV996.6

Date: 1888-1976, predominant 1931-1939

Media Type: Photograph; Textual Record

Arrangement: Arrangement is based on the order in which records were compiled by creators and donors.

Notes: Title based on contents of fonds

Interview with Bill Gruenthal

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19636

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (74 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (74 min., 37 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Bill Gruenthal conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on July 31 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:27:01 Bill Gruenthal provides details on his family background, his early life experiences, how he got into the insurance business,…

1 document 1 audio

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) (74 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (74 min., 37 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Bill Gruenthal Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 31, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:14:37 Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Bill Gruenthal conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on July 31 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:27:01 Bill Gruenthal provides details on his family background, his early life experiences, how he got into the insurance business, his knowledge and interest in Judaism, places that he and his wife lived before moving to Burnaby, family life in Burnaby and his political involvement in running for the Burnaby school board. 00:27:02 – 00:42:50 Bill Gruenthal talks about the Burquest Jewish Community Association, it’s background and his involvement, experiences of discrimination in his career, a brief history of the Jewish people and some cultural traditions. 00:42:51 – 00:56:04 Bill Gruenthal mentions some of the charities that he supports including Burnaby Hospital, his volunteer work within the community and community organizations including the Nikkei Place Foundation and shares more details on his insurance career. 00:56:05 – 01:14:37 Bill Gruenthal shares information about his Burnaby neighbourhood and Jewish funeral customs and provides his impressions of new development at Brentwood, Burnaby Council and other development projects in Burnaby.

History: Interviewee biography: Bill Gruenthal was born in the British Mandate of Palestine, now Israel, in 1935 after his parents had fled Germany in advance of the then worsening political situation. Bill’s father died in 1942; some years later his mother remarried to an Irish-born senior civil servant in that government. He had a difficult and somewhat dangerous job. Soon after marriage, the family, including Bill’s older brother, Martin, immigrated to Canada in January 1947 on the strength of his step-father’s British Passport. They traveled via New York, where Bill’s uncle and his family resided and who put up the family. Later that month, the parents travelled by CP rail from Montreal to Vancouver, followed by Bill and his brother in March 1947 who travelled from New York to White Rock on an American railroad. While passing through the Fraser Valley Bill’s parents took an interest in Silverdale, a small hamlet west of Mission where the four eventually settled. Bill finished High School in Mission and soon joined the insurance industry. Bill connected with the Jewish Community in Vancouver where he met his soon-to-be wife. Upon marriage they were transferred to Calgary; after five years suffering its cold weather they were transferred back to Vancouver. They settled in Burnaby in 1966 as an affordable neighbourhood with easy access to his office downtown Vancouver. Outside work, Bill helped raise his family of three daughters who all graduated Burnaby High School (Alpha). They joined Temple Sholom in Vancouver, and he volunteered and still volunteers for a number of non-profits, including The Jewish Museum and Archives and Nikkei Place Foundation (Burnaby). He was an early long-term supporter and a past president of Burquest Jewish Community Association, mostly involving persons from Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities area (hence the name). He ran for political office in Burnaby in 1976 but was not elected. He delivers food in Burnaby for the Food Bank and is a donor to many worthy causes including Burnaby General Hospital. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Migration; Persons - Jewish Canadians; Transportation; Transportation - Rail; Religions - Judaism; Cemeteries; Organizations; Elections

Names: Gruenthal, Bill; Gruenthal, Noemi Yadlow; O'Connor, Herta Ingrid Gruenthal; O'Connor, John; Burquest; Jacobson, Max Alec; Temple Shalom; Brentwood Shopping Centre; Brentwood Park School; Alpha Secondary School; Burnaby School Board

Responsibility: Damer, Eric

Accession Code: BV023.16.14

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Planning Study Area: Brentwood Area

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available

Documents

2023_0016_0014_004

Audio Tracks

Interview with Bill Gruenthal, [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0014_003.mp3

Interview with Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19611

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (90 min., 21 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (90 min., 4 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Shushma Datt and her son, Sudhir Datta conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik. 00:00 – 12:47 Interview opens with introductions. Shushma Datt shares information about; where she’s lived in Burnaby sin…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (90 min., 21 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (90 min., 4 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewers: Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik Interviewees: Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta Location of Interview: Spice Radio, Norland Avenue, Burnaby Interview Date: January 20, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:30:21 Digital master recordings (wav) were edited into one recording and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Shushma Datt and her son, Sudhir Datta conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik. 00:00 – 12:47 Interview opens with introductions. Shushma Datt shares information about; where she’s lived in Burnaby since immigrating in 1972 and her arranged marriage which lead her to immigrate to Canada. Datt provides detailed information about her family background in Kenya and her parent’s decision to move their family from Kenya to India in the 1960s and then to England in the 1965. Datt describes her family’s experiences living in Kenya and India in the 1960s and provides some context on the political unrest that happened in Kenya which lead her family to leave. 12:48 - 28:07 Datt talks about her time living in England and shares information on her family life and her employment experiences. Datt conveys an experience from her childhood that inspired her to become a broadcaster and shares her experiences working for the BBC oversees service in England (1965-1972). Datt describes some of the articles that she's written for various publications and the people that she's interviewed. Datt highlights a particular experience about writing a critical review about the controversial design on Jimi Hendrix’s album “Axis: Bold as Love” that depicted Hindu religious iconography. 28:09 – 34:47 Datt and Datta provide further details about Datt's arranged marriage which lead her to immigrate to Canada in 1972 and to work as a broadcaster in Canada. Datt recalls her experiences working as a radio station operator for CHQM, a radio broadcaster for CJVB and starting her own South Asian radio station Rim Jhim in 1987. 34:48 – 40:01 Datt and Datta share information on where they’ve lived in Vancouver and Burnaby. Datt and Datta recall pivotal family life events that impacted their lives in 1974. 40:02 – 45:53 Datt recalls the travel trunks and contents that she and her family brought with them when they left Nairobi. Datt describes the letters that her parents wrote. Datt and Datta describe photos of their family and convey the impacts to their family after two of Datt’s brothers died at 24 years of age. 45:54 – 50:56 Interview continues chronologically from 1974, after Datt’s son, Sudhir Datta was born. Datt describes how she had to work hard to help pay her bills and support her family. Datta describes his childhood growing up as a South Asian child living and attending school in Burnaby (1979-1992). Datt and Datta recall Datt’s graduation ceremony and Datta’s Order of British Columbia awards ceremony. 50:57 – 58:03 Datt and Datta talk about food and cooking and where they’ve shopped for traditional food supplies. Datta explains her family lineage as Hindus who eat meat and how she’s been a vegetarian for over 30 years. Datt and Datta share stories about Datt’s mother Leela Datta. 58:04 – 1:05:38 Both Datt and Datta reflect on what’s it’s been like living as South Asians in Burnaby. Datt conveys the message that she got from her mom, Leela Datta "not to assimilate but to integrate". They both reflect on how the ethnic and cultural diversity of neighbourhoods has changed over time and Datt describes his experiences as a student in Burnaby. 1:05:39 – 1:16:51 Datt and Datta talk about the role of religion in their lives, describe the purpose of Radio Rim Jhim and reflect on how the South Asian community has grown in Metro Vancouver and the disparities created within. They both recall how their lives were threatened and impacted in 1984 following an interview that Datt did with Indira Ghandhi. Datt talks about the origins of her and her son’s surnames. 1:16:52 – 1:26:11 Datt and Datta talk about and reflect on their own experiences of racism and discrimination. Datt talks about Spice Radio’s annual campaign “Raise your hands against Racism”. Datt and Datta provide background on the radio stations Rim Jhim and Spice Radio including; how they got started, their unbiased approach to broadcast content and their experiences in the complex realm of broadcasting a multi-cultural radio station. 1:26:12 – 1:30:04 In closing, Datt and Datta convey what they think that younger generations of South Asian Canadians should understand about the South Asian Community in British Columbia.

History: Interviewees biographies: Shushma Datt was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1946 and is the second eldest of six children. In the 1960s during the unrest in Kenya, her family moved to India. After about nine months of living in India, Datt's family decided to return to Kenya, leaving Datt and her brother to complete their education in India. While living in India, Datt studied at Delhi University and worked at the Indian newspaper. In 1965, Datt, her parents and five siblings decided to leave Kenya and immigrated to England. While living in England, Datt got work as a broadcaster with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) overseas service, producing her first program in 1969. During her time with the BBC, Datt has interviewed many influential artists including Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles as well as the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. In 1972, Datt immigrated to Canada and settled in Burnaby. In late 1973, Datt sponsored her mother who joined her in Burnaby. Datt joined the CJVB radio station in Vancouver working as the Punjabi and Hindi language broadcaster. Datt worked here until 1978 when she started her own radio station, Radio Rim Jhim. In 2005, Datt obtained her own AM radio band license for a multicultural radio station RJ1200 which was later rebranded "Spice Radio". In 2015, Datt launched Spice Radio's annual "Hands Against Racism" campaign which has won awards from the Government of British Columbia and the B.C. Association of Broadcasters. Datt has also been a producer for Omni TV and Shaw TV and was the first woman to obtain a broadcasting license from the Canadian Radio- Television Telecommunications Commission. In 1992, Shushma Datt was awarded the Order of British Columbia and is also the recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. Datt has been listed by the Vancouver Sun newspaper as among the 100 "most influential Indo-Canadians" and has been recognized by the Royal British Columbia Museum as one of the 150 "most influential British Columbians". Sudhir Datta is the only child of Sushma Datt and was born in Burnaby. Datta graduated with a computer science degree from Capilano University in 1995. Datta is the Vice President of Media Broadcasting (founded in 1984) creating television and radio programming for Canada's South Asian Community and has been the General Manager and Program Director of Spice Radio since 2006. Datta is also the author of many articles highlighting the South Asian community in Vancouver. Interviewers biographies: Anushay Malik is labor historian with a geographical focus on South Asia. Anushay studied at the University of London and was a research fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2014, Anushay moved back to her native Pakistan and joined Lahore University of Management Services as an Assistant Professor. In 2023, Anushay is a visiting scholar at Simon Fraser University and lives in Burnaby with her family. Anushay was a co-curator of the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”. Jane Lemke has worked in various museums in the Lower Mainland and has been the Curator at Burnaby Village Museum since 2019. Her educational background includes a Master of Arts degree in History and a Master of Museum Studies degree. Her research focus has been on trauma and memory and its role in shaping Canadian identity. She loves sharing memories and stories of Burnaby with the public. Jane sits on the Council of the BC Museums Association and is the Chair of the BC Museums Association Professional Development and Education Committee.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Migration; Occupations - Broadcasters; Occupations - Entrepreneurs; Occupations - Journalists; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Radio Stations; Religions; Religions - Hinduism; Religions - Sikhism; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism

Names: Datt, Shushma; Datta, Sudhir; Datta, Lila Vati "Leela"; Spice Radio; Rim Jhim

Responsibility: Malik, Anushay; Lemke, Jane

Accession Code: BV023.1.3

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcript available upon request

Audio Tracks

Interview with Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta, [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0001_0003_003.mp3

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