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Subject
- Adornment 4
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slicer
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact26084
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- HV975.135.1
- Description
- Chinese herb slicer, wood, with metal blade. Blade has Chinese markings. Some damage to the right front of slicer.
- Object History
- Plane made by Lim Bong for use in the Kwong Chai Tong Herbalist shop at 122 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown. The business was founded ca. 1915 by Lim Bong's father, Lim Butt (1889-1950) and closed in the 1970s.
- Category
- 04.Tools & Equipment for Materials
- Measurements
- 7 cm height x 7 cm width x 27 length
Images
Burnaby Mountain Secondary School cafeteria
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription97570
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2000]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 6 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of lunchtime in the cafeteria at Burnaby Mountain Secondary School. Photographs depict students lining up and enjoying food in the cafeteria, and the food options in the cafeteria, including Panago, Subway, and KFC.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2000]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 6 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 535-2909
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of lunchtime in the cafeteria at Burnaby Mountain Secondary School. Photographs depict students lining up and enjoying food in the cafeteria, and the food options in the cafeteria, including Panago, Subway, and KFC.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a November 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata for 535-2909-1: "A selection of chips greets students lining up at the cash register."
- Caption from metadata for 535-2909-2: "Students have a wide variety of favorite foods to choose, from Panagopolis pizza to Kentucky Fried Chicken."
- Caption from metadata for 535-2909-3: "Sarah McLeod, a grade 8 student, says the cafeteria lunches at Burnaby Mountain Secondary are "better than the sandwiches my mom would make.""
- Caption from metadata for 535-2909-4: "Stephanie Yelton, Grade 9, gets a Pepsi. The cafeteria also has a Coke dispenser."
- Caption from metadata for 535-2909-5: "Tony Breemo, a Grade 11 student, says he gets a Subway sandwich every day."
- Geographic Access
- Eastlake Drive
- Street Address
- 8800 Eastlake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burquitlam (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lyndhurst Area
Images
glass; mug
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact40690
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV000.7.6
- Description
- Glass mug. Small clear glass commemorative mug with gold rim. "E II R" on front. On either side of lettering is a lion and a unicorn holding up a crown.
- Object History
- The coronation usually takes place several months after the death of the previous monarch, as it is considered a joyous occasion that would be inappropriate when mourning still continues. This also gives planners enough time to complete the elaborate arrangements required. Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, despite having acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952, the instant her father died. British law states that the throne is not left 'vacant' and the new Monarch succeeds the old immediately.
- Marks/Labels
- "E II R" "2ND JUNE" "CORONATION" "1953". Underside has raised '6', "MADE IN FRANCE".
Images
Mountain Goat Horn Spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact30018
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- HV973.73.177
- Description
- Horn spoon with fine carving on the narrow handle. Material is very dark.
- Object History
- Along the Northwest Coast, in general, undecorated spoons of wood and horn were used in everyday life, while more elaborately carved versions were used on special occasions. Horn spoons were often passed down in families as heirlooms, such spoons are generally darker in colour than those of recent manufacture. The bowls of these spoons are too large to place in the mouth, so food is sipped from the sides or the end.
- The bowl of the mountain goat horn spoon is made from the larger part of the horn, at the base. The handle is made from the tip. It is straightened out by steaming in a wooden mould and then scored out inside as part of the shaping process
- Country Made
- Canada
- Province Made
- British Columbia
- School/Style
- Coast Salish
- Culture
- Haida
Images
Documents
mug
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact35467
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV993.39.2
- Description
- Mug. Commemorative, cream coloured, ceramic mug. Crown, floral sprays either side and below. The same design is featured on both sides of the mug.
- Object History
- Queen Victoria celebrated Golden and Diamond Jubilees marking 50 and 60 years of her reign.
- Marks/Labels
- In brown, "THE DIAMOND", crown, "JUBILEE YEAR", "OF QUEEN VICTORIA", and on either side, "JUNE" "1897".
- Subjects
- Persons - Royalty
- Souvenirs
- Souvenirs - Royalty
- Food Service Tools and Equipment
- Celebrations
- Celebrations - Jubilee
Images
mug
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact44442
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV985.6025.1
- Description
- Mug. Commemorative, white, enamelware features sepia portraits of Queen Victoria, one young, and one older. Leafy borders with winged cherubs on either side of portraits. Red crown above portraits at centre.
Images
saucer
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact26934
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- HV974.63.37
- Description
- Saucer. White ceramic with gold rim. Portraits at centre of Queen Mary and King George V with two flags at left and two at right. Above portraits is a crown, with shamrocks, thistle and rose.
- Marks/Labels
- Below portraits "JUNE 22ND" "LONG MAY THEY REIGN" "1911", "COPYRIGHT".
Images
side plate
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact35470
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV993.39.5
- Description
- Plate. Cream coloured ceramic commemorative plate with gold edging. Wide rim features raised leaves, corn, and grapes. Portraits of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in ovals at the center, with two flags on either side.
- Marks/Labels
- Above portraits "12TH MAY 1937" and crown. Below portraits "H.M.KING GEORGE VI" "CORONATION", "H.M.QUEEN ELIZABETH" On back, "GR VI" "CORONATION 12TH MAY 1937" with crown above. "Solian Ware" "SOHO POTTERY LTD" "COBRIDGE" "ENGLAND".
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact13314
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV985.4664.2
- Description
- Spoon, commemorative, silver metal. "QUEEN ELIZABETH II" at top of handle with profile of queen.
- Marks/Labels
- "QUEEN ELIZABETH II" at top of handle. On back of the stem, "SILVER PLATE".
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact40685
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV000.7.1
- Description
- Spoon, silver. In bowl "Queen Elizabeth Visits Canada 1959" engraved in script. Raised bust of Queen at top of handle.
- Marks/Labels
- In bowl "Queen Elizabeth Visits Canada 1959" engraved in script. On reverse is dagger with "SILVERPLATE McGLASHAN".
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact40686
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV000.7.2
- Description
- Spoon, red-gold metal. Top of handle is a medallion with double busts of George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Upper part of stem has twisted design, then straight section, then flourishes above and below large round area with flower at centre. Bowl has leafy designs.
- Marks/Labels
- At top of handle "GEORGE VI & QUEEN ELIZABETH", on reverse, "CROWNED MAY 12, 1937". On back of stem at middle, "DES.REGD"; on back of bowl, on inset areas, "ANOINTING SPOON" "USED IN" "CORONATION CEREMONY" "SINCE XII CENTURY".
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact40687
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV000.7.3
- Description
- Spoon, decorative souvenir/collector's type in gold. Thin stem splits to form an open oval ending in a point. Jewelled crown on handle where stem splits. Crown has four red stones at bottom with three arching sections connecting to a cross at the top of the crown. Two blue stones on each of the outer arching sections (one stone missing) and two clear stones in the centre arching section. Cross at top has a single clear stone.
- Marks/Labels
- "Canada" in bowl of spoon in script.
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact40688
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV000.7.4
- Description
- Spoon, silver. Top of handle is round with crown at top; in center of handle is a profile of Queen Elizabeth II; border around profile has laurel leaves; oak leaf below writing
- Object History
- Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at a coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey in London on June 2nd, 1953.
- Marks/Labels
- "CORONATION JUNE 2ND 1953" and below this is "ELIZABETH II" at top of handle. Stamped on back, "RUSTLESS NICKEL SILVER" "SHEFFIELD ENGLAND"; in circle at right, "MB LTD.".
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact41024
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV000.35.3
- Description
- Spoon, commemorative, silver. Profile of crowned Queen at rounded top of handle. Two flowers are below the year with curved diagonal line below them. A smaller flower is near the bowl of spoon. Bowl is deep and pointed at end.
- Marks/Labels
- "CORONATION ELIZABETH II" around profile of Queen. Under profile is "2ND" "JUNE" "1953". Stamped on back "E.P.N.S. A1".
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact41025
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV000.35.4
- Description
- Spoon, silver; names of Andrew and Sarah stamped around image of a rose, then continuing down handle. Leaf design on either side of words.
- Object History
- Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew's romance began in 1985. Early in 1986 the couple were engaged and subsequently married in Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986. Prince Andrew had the title of The Duke of York bestowed upon him by the Queen. Sarah automatically became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York. After some 4 years of being officially separated, the Duke and Duchess made the mutual decision to divorce in 1996.
- Marks/Labels
- "ANDREW.SARAH" "ROYAL" "WEDDING 1986" on the top and down the handle of the spoon. Stamped on back, "EPNS A1 SHEFFIELD SILVERPLATED".
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact41026
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV000.35.5
- Description
- Spoon, silver. Commemorating the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth ll. Top of handle is round with a crown at top. Profile of Queen Elizabeth II is in the center of the handle. Border of handle had laurel leaves; below writing oak leaf; decorative lines down handle to bowl of spoon.
- Marks/Labels
- Border of handle "CORONATION JUNE 2ND 1953" and below this is "ELIZABETH II". Stamped on back, "RUSTLESS NICKEL SILVER" "SHEFFIELD ENGLAND"; in circle at right, "MB LTD."
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact44435
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV002.24.1
- Description
- Spoon, silver. Engraved in bowl, "Silver Jubilee 1952-1977" in script. Stem is fluted like a column with capital between stem and handle. Handle is figure of Queen Elizabeth ll in coronation regalia, seated on coronation throne.
- Object History
- The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth realms. It was celebrated with large-scale parties and parades throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth throughout 1977, culminating in June with the official "Jubilee Days," held to coincide with the Queen's Official Birthday.
- Marks/Labels
- In bowl, "Silver Jubilee 1952-1977" in script. On reverse, "EXQUISITE E.J. LTD.".
Images
spoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact44436
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV002.24.2
- Description
- Spoon, silver; writing on purple background around edge of round handle of spoon. At centre of circle is feather symbol. Date on either side of feather symbol. Stem is fluted like a column, with one capital between stem and handle.
- Marks/Labels
- "TO COMMEMORATE" "THE MARRIAGE OF H.R.H. PRINCE CHARLES TO LADY DIANA SPENCER" on purple background around edge of handle."ICH DIEN" under symbol. "JULY 29TH" "1981" on either side of symbol. Hallmarks on reverse E P C M.
Images
Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village Museum
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription18877
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 22 Sep. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (91 min., 5 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 with presentations and discussions by Megan Innes, Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra and Denise Fong. The webinar is titled "Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (91 min., 5 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps
- Material Details
- Host: Jane Lemke
- Presenters: Meagan Innes; Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra; Denise Fong
- Date of Presentation: Tuesday, September 22, 2022. 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Total Number of tracks: 1
- Total Length of all tracks: 91 min., 5 sec.
- Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform
- Original recording of 91 min., 5 sec.was edited to 79 min., 2 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 Curator, Jane Lemke with presentations and discussions by Megan Innes, Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra and Denise Fong. The webinar is titled "Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village Museum". The webinar is the fourth 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 speakers and host discuss what it takes to bring more diverse stories into the Burnaby Village Museum and explore the history of discriminatory practices and museological trends at the Burnaby Village Museum and other museums. Speakers highlight recent projects taking place at Burnaby Village Museum to ensure that other diverse stories of communities are being represented and told. Speakers each provide a ten minute presentation followed by discussions. The first speaker in the webinar is Meagan Innes. When talking about place, Meagan talks about her ancestral ties to certain places including the site where Burnaby Village Museum now stands and what it means to her Indigenous ancestors. Meagan shares stories from her grandfather John Cordocedo of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation and how her grandfather, her great grandfather and ancestors have lived, hunted, gathered and traveled on this land. Meagan talks about the work that she’s been involved with at the Burnaby Village Museum including the development of the Indigenous Learning House, the Matriarch’s Garden, the Indigenous History in Burnaby Resource Guide and development of Indigenous educational programing and projects. Meagan reflects on the collaboration and relationships that have developed during this work with Indigenous artists and Indigenous knowledge keepers. The second speaker in the webinar is Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra “Sharn”. Sharn's presentation is titled “From Orientalism and Colonialism to hope and future possibility”. Sharn speaks of her personal experience visiting the Burnaby Village Museum’s Chinese herbalist exhibit with her son and his school in 2019. Sharn expresses the racist impressions that she witnessed from the young students who visited the exhibit and her reaction re-visiting the exhibit in 2021 after the exhibit was revitalized. Sharn describes the much more positive aspects of the revitalized exhibit which transformed it from “Nostalgic Colonialism” to a place of meaningful belonging for racialized communities that includes faces and personal stories. Sharn looks forward to being a part of Burnaby’s next venture which looks at the history of Burnaby’s South Asian Canadian Community and shares some of her research while working on this project. The third speaker in the webinar is Denise Fong. Denise’s presentation is titled “Chinese Canadian History in Burnaby”. Denise provides some background regarding her work as a researcher working for the City of Burnaby. Denise takes us on a journey of her research in compiling non white experiences in Burnaby as well as uncovering personal stories from Burnaby families living and working in Burnaby. Denise points out discriminatory practices within Burnaby including the Chinese and Japanese Exclusion Bylaw in 1892 and the history of Chinese immigration to Canada including the Chinese Head Tax. Denise reflects on her own work, the work of students from UBC and volunteers from the Chinese Canadian History Advisory committee in building relationships with Chinese Canadian families within Burnaby to obtain stories and family records. Denise points out the various projects that these relationships and research have contributed to including; Heritage interpretive plaques installed at the Riverway Golf Course and in the Big Bend area of Burnaby, an award winning exhibit at Burnaby Village Museum “Across the Pacific”, new Chinese Canadian resources available on “Heritage Burnaby”, the revitalization of the Chinese Herbalist shop exhibit “Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee and Co.” at Burnaby Village Museum, the Chinese Market Garden at Burnaby Village Museum, the creation of a "Burnaby Farm Tour" map highlighting Chinese farms in the Big Bend area and a publication titled "Chinese Canadian History in Burnaby Resource Guide". Following the presentations, host Jane Lemke enters a conversation with Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra and Denise Fong. Jane intiates the conversations with questions regarding further work that is necessary for Burnaby Village Museum and other museums to move forward in readdressing the narratives beyond white colonial settler perspectives to include stories of marginalized and racialized people who are under represented and often forgotten.
- History
- 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.
- Meagan Innes is from Xwmélts'tstn úxwumixw (Capilano Village). She is a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh First Nation Educator and a multidisciplinary Artist. Meagan completed her Masters of Education around examining connection to place, kinship and to spén´em (plant) s7ek_w’í7tel (siblings) pén´em (plant things). She is an emerging artist who is waking up her Ancestral skills and practicing the ways of her Ancestors. She is exploring reshaping pedagogy to embody traditional ways of knowing and being, more specifically Sḵwx̱wú7mesh traditional ways of learning, knowing and being. She had recently completed the First Nations Language Program at Simon Fraser University to become a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh langauge speaker which is the language of her Ancestors.
- Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra (Sharn) is Coordinator of the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, co-curator of exhibits at the Sikh Heritage Museum, located in the National Historic Site Gur Sikh Temple in Abbotsford, BC, and a sessional faculty in the Department of History at UFV. Sharn’s PhD looks at the affective experiences of racialized museum visitors through a critical race theory lens. She’s a passionate activist, building bridges between community and academia through museum work. She is a past member of the BC Museums Association, and currently a Director with the Pacific Canada Heritage Centre - Museum of Migration.
- Denise Fong is a historical researcher with the City of Burnaby and Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on Chinese Canadian identity and meaning making in heritage spaces. Since 2009, Denise has coordinated a number of historical research and public history projects, including SFU’s From C to C: Chinese Canadian Stories of Migration and UBC’s Chinese Canadian Stories: Uncommon Histories from a Common Past. She co-curated two award-winning Chinese Canadian exhibitions locally — Burnaby Village Museum’s Across the Pacific exhibition and the Chinese Canadian Museum of BC/Museum of Vancouver’s A Seat at the Table exhibition. She is a UBC Public Scholar and currently serves as the research director for UBC's Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Indigenous peoples
- 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
- Plants
- Persons - Chinese Canadians
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Buildings - Civic - Museums
- Social Issues - Racism
- Names
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Fong, Denise
- Innes, Meagan
- Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation
- Sandhra, Sharanjit Kaur "Sharn" Dr.
- Responsibility
- Lemke, Jane
- Accession Code
- BV022.27.4
- Date
- 22 Sep. 2022
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Images
Video
Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village Museum, 22 Sep. 2022
Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village Museum, 22 Sep. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2022_0027_0004_002.mp4Interview with Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19347
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (m4a) (118 min., 39 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (115 min., 20 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill and their daughter, Prem Kaur Gill conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep. The interview is conducted in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. The three members of the Gill family share the…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (m4a) (118 min., 39 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (115 min., 20 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewers: Anushay Malik, Rajdeep Interviewees: Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill Location of Interview: Gill family residence on Warwick Avenue in Burnaby Interview Date: November 11, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: (1:58:39) Digital master recording (m4a) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill and their daughter, Prem Kaur Gill conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep. The interview is conducted in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. The three members of the Gill family share their ancestral background, their personal experiences immigrating to Canada, living in Burnaby and working in British Columbia as South Asian immigrants. 00:00 – 27:34 Santokh “Gurmail” Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill share their migration stories and experiences living and working in British Columbia as South Asian immigrants and their eldest child, Prem Kaur Gill shares her own experiences as a child of South Asian immigrants and growing up in British Columbia as a South Asian Canadian. Gurmail Singh Gill was born in the District of Jalandhar and Mohinder Kaur Gill was born in Hoshiapur of the Indian state of Punjab. Gurmail describes how he moved from India to England with his family in 1957, immigrated to Canada from England in 1966, married his wife Mohinder in England in 1968 and brought his family (parents and two siblings) to Canada from England in 1970 and other relatives including his wife’s family in the 1970s and 1980s. Mohinder and Gurmail Gill recollect their arranged marriage in England in 1968, their immigration process and explain how they arrived in Burnaby residing with a cousin at 4649 Georgia Street until they were able to purchase their own home after a few years. Gurmail shares names and connections to the relatives that came to British Columbia before him. Gurmail and Mohinder tell how they lived in the basement of the house and rented out the upper floor to save money. The couple recall what they brought with them when they immigrated to Canada and Mohinder Kaur Gill tells of how before leaving India, she and her mother made a special rajai for her to take with her. Mohinder describes the process of making a rajai (a quilted blanket that was made by hand). Gurmail and Mohinder Gill talk about the challenges that they’ve experienced as new immigrants including not being fluent in English, the cold weather and not having very many family or friends nearby to provide support. They attended the Gurdwara on Ross Street or Akali Singh Sikh Society Gurdwara on Skeena in Vancouver. They explain how there was limited access to grocery stores that supplied Punjabi and Indian spices and other cooking supplies. They talk about how they used a food mill and mortar and pestle to grind their own spices and flour and how Mohinder often made traditional sweets like barfi and laddo and pakoras using pea flour when they couldn’t get Besan flour. 27:35 – 36:11 Gurmail provides more details on his family’s immigration story, including names of relatives, how his six siblings and parents all immigrated to British Columbia in 1970 and how in the early 1970s and mid 1980’s Gurmail and his family sponsored approximately 70 friends and relations from India (including Mohinder’s family) to immigrate to Canada. When Mohinder’s family arrived they lived with them in their house until they were able to purchase property next door and build their own home. Children in the families all attended elementary and high school in Burnaby which now amounts to three generations. 36:12 – 59:28 Gurmail and Mohinder Gill talk about their experiences of racial discrimination. Gurmail recalls members of the South Asian community, Dr. Hari Prakash Sharma, Harinder Mahil and Charan Gill starting the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism. Gurmail tells of how he got involved contributing some of his union dues as a member of CAIMAW (Canadian Association of Industrial Mechanical and Allied Workers Union- Local 15) and as a friend of Charan Gill and Raj Chouhan of the Canadian Farm Workers Union. Gurmail Gill explains how he was a founding member of CAIMAW and treasurer until the union merged with the Canadian Auto Workers Union (in 1991). Mohinder and Gurmail tell of how people from the South Asian community were discouraged from wearing Punjabi dresses or head coverings for fear of being yelled at with racial slurs and how it was often scary to go outside. Many from their community often avoided attending the Akali Singh Gurdwara since a head covering was required and people were afraid of being a target. Gurmail provides details about his work with A1 Steel, how different unions were formed pertaining to various skillsets and jobs per company and how he became a member of CAIMAW Local 15 (foundry workers). Mohinder recollects her experiences as a mother, the daily tasks involved and friends that she made who’d also emigrated from Punjab. Mohinder describes how she designed and sewed many Punjabi dresses using her electric sewing machine and how she learned English by attending adult classes at a church on Commercial Drive. Mohinder and her mother attended the classes for two hours per day for six years at a cost of twelve dollars for ten weeks. Once Mohinder could speak a little English, she started working and was able to practice more. 59:29 – 1:06:08 Mohinder, Gurmail and Prem talk about some of their favourite traditional foods including corn roti and spinach curry and how they grow many of their own vegetables including peppers, eggplant, saag (spinach), onions, garlic, cilantro, zucchini, squash and fenugreek. Mohinder reflects on how access to Punjabi clothing and fabric stores in Vancouver has changed and that ready made food is now more available. Traditional foods were previously made from scratch with women gathering together and cooking for hours and now it’s gotten easier but more expensive and less of a community feel. 1:06:09- 1:55:20 Mohinder and Gurmail Gill discuss and share their perspectives and experiences on raising a family in the past versus today. Gurmail imparts that all of his siblings became educated and secured professional careers while he continued to work in the trades. Prem Kaur Gill shares her own experiences growing up and attending school in Burnaby. Gurmail and Mohinder Gill recall the type of suitcase that they brought with them when they immigrated and how they recently they got rid of it. Gurmail and the group reflect and discuss the confusion with racial identity terms that have been used in this country. They comment that South Asians were referred to as “Hindu” and “East Indian” and Indigenous peoples were referred to as “Indian” and the controversy and racism behind some of these terms. The group discusses the impact of the caste system and other discriminatory experiences and compare their experiences of living in England to living in Canada. Prem comments on how it’s just recently that South Asian customs, celebrations and practices have been recognized and celebrated here in Canada, like Diwali and yoga. They comment on how much of the language, culture and customs have been retained in Surrey where many can still communicate in Punjabi and don’t need to be fluent in English. The group discusses how many South Asians immigrants first lived and worked in Vancouver but with rising property prices many moved to Surrey expanding and establishing a much larger South Asian community with resources. The group discusses and compares the differing travel routes that many of them and their relatives took when immigrating and travelling between India and Canada. The group talks about Rajdeep’s ancestral village in India which is near the Gill village of Firozpur. Gurmail explains the origins and details behind his family name that was changed from “Shergill” to “Gill” and the name “Santokh” from his maternal side.
- History
- Interviewees' biographies: Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill was born in the District of Jalandhar in Punjab, India. Gurmail moved to England with his family in 1957 and immigrated to British Columbia in 1966. Gurmail married his wife, Mohinder Kaur Gill in England in 1968 and she immigrated to British Columbia from England soon after. Gurmail first lived with a cousin in Burnaby before purchasing a home of his own in Burnaby where he raised his family. Gurmail worked in the steel industry and was a member and treasurer of the CAIMAW before the union merged with the Canadian Auto Workers Union. Mohinder Kaur Gill was born in the Hoshiapur in Punjab, India. She married her husband Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill in England in 1968 and immigrated to Burnaby, British Columbia to join her husband. Mohinder and Gurmail Gill have four children, all born in Burnaby. Prem Kaur Gill was born in Burnaby in 1969 and is the eldest child of Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill. Prem grew up and attended school in Burnaby. 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”. Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Clothing
- Foods
- Indigenous peoples
- Buildings - Religious - Temples
- Food Processing Tools and Equipment
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Migration
- Occupations
- Organizations - Unions
- Responsibility
- Rajdeep
- Malik, Anushay
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.2
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcript available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum
- Indian Family System Reference notes: Baba = informal way to say grandfather; old man Bibi = informal way to say grandmother; old woman Dada= paternal grandfather Dadi= paternal grandmother Dadke= paternal family members; paternal side (Various spellings might exist for the following terms) Thaiyya= father’s elder brother (uncle) Thaiyyi= father’s elder brother’s wife (aunt) Chacha= father’s younger brother (uncle) Chachi= father’s younger brother’s wife (aunt) Bua= father’s sister (older or younger) (aunt) Phuphar= father’s sister’s husband (uncle) Nana= maternal grandfather Nani= maternal grandmother Nanke/nanka= maternal family members; maternal side Mama= mom’s brother (older or younger) (uncle) Mami= mom’s brother’s wife (aunt) Maasi= mom’s sister (older or younger) (aunt) Maasard= mom’s sister’s husband (uncle)
Audio Tracks
Interview with Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022
Interview with Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0002_002.mp3