Sacred Journey Opening Blessing Ceremony

 

We would be honoured if you joined us at the opening ceremony of the Sacred Journey Travelling Exhibit at the Victoria Inner Harbour.

Sacred Journey Travelling Exhibit is an immersive experience celebrating the power of Tribal Canoe Journeys at the Victoria Inner Harbour. It will be on display on the ground floor of the Royal BC Museum in Clifford Carl Hall beginning May 5, 2023.

The First Nation and Native American Tribes canoe families will paddle from the Songhees Longhouse or Songhees Park (located at the Delta Ocean Pointe Hotel in Victoria) to the Inner Harbour in Downtown Victoria where they will be welcomed by the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) People. Please join us in watching the canoes paddle into the harbour.

Canoe Nations & registered guests will then relocate to the Royal BC Museum for a private event.

Please be advised that the Royal BC Museum will be taking photographs at this event for use in materials in support of the Royal BC Museum’s mandate. Outside commercial photography is prohibited.

What is the Sacred Journey exhibit?

This travelling exhibit shares the First Nations’ story of their healing journey through the resurgence of ocean-going canoes along the Pacific Coast.

Told by leaders in today’s canoe resurgence, Sacred Journey combines art, immersive audio, video displays, and interactive experiences.

Produced by SeeQuest Development Co, Greencoast Media, and Heiltsuk Tribal Council and presented by Royal BC Museum. Sacred Journey is an exhibit that tells the story of the resurgence of Northwest Coast canoe cultures.

Click here to learn more about the travelling exhibit.

 

What is the BÁKVḶÁ photo exhibition?

Featured alongside Sacred Journey will be a photo series on Bákvḷá, a Heiltsuk word that loosely translates as “gathering and harvesting food for winter.” The Bákvḷá photos are interpreted by Heiltsuk elder and residential school survivor Margaret Brown, one of the last fluent Heiltsuk-language speakers in the world.

The series is co-produced by the Heiltsuk Nation and co-curated by Frank Brown, Ayla Brown, and Vina Brown, of the Heiltsuk Nation, and William Knight of the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.

Questions?

If you are a canoe family and have questions related to the ceremony program, please contact:

Kathy Brown, SeeQuest Development Co. | canoe1993@gmail.com | 250-957-8464 or

Hamisinuł, Tom Child, Cultural Support Team, Royal BC Museum | childtr@gmail.com | 250-230-4845

 

For general questions around the event, location etc., please contact:

Naut'sa mawt Event Management | events@nautsamawt.com