The BC Archives is working to provide digital copies of records to Indigenous families and communities that have a connection to the material. A recent example includes an 1887 government file that describes early settler-Indigenous conflict in the East Kootenays in detail. The scanned file has been provided to the Ktunaxa Nation Council.
Truth and Reconciliation Projects
Updates to the Royal BC Museum Natural History gallery will begin in 2018. Included in the refresh will be changes to the metanarrative and specimen labels to introduce Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) as an important source of environmental information.
A three year plan has been launched to begin a major renewal and re-evaluation of all First Peoples gallery displays. This includes an updated interpretive plan and major design changes to represent contemporary living First Nations. All work is being completed in direct consultation with the First Nations Advisory and Advocacy Committee.
Indigenous partners were consulted in the planning of the Becoming BC gallery refresh (2018–21). These partners will introduce Indigenous and intercultural voices as an integral part of BC's historical narratives.
The Royal BC Museum frequently loans out cultural heritage to community members on request, as with a Chilkat Robe (RBCM 14768) that was loaned to family members for graduation ceremonies in 2015 and 2017. Museum conservators learned to perceive the robe as part of a living culture, recognize that it has value as a ceremonial object, and demonstrated positive caretaking practices for the preservation of cultural heritage.
The Royal BC Museum's Conservation department provides meaningful access to collections to artists who need to view a particular object (e.g. Haida Canoe). The detailed view of the materials and structure of objects is shared with the people who derive the most benefit from close examination of the object.