TW: Colonization, Residential schools
This week Truth and Reconciliation is top of mind, prompting reflection on how Indigenous history, including records about residential schools and Survivors, are represented within Open Collections.
BC’s history is a major area of focus for the Digitization Centre, and Open Collections includes a large number of records showcasing this history, including those in the prominent Uno Langmann, Chung, and Lind Collections. These are valuable pieces of local heritage, but are also inextricably linked to the history of colonization and suppression of Indigenous culture.
Photographs of Indigenous people taken by settlers were often extractive. While they visually preserve valuable elements of cultural heritage like traditional dress and craftsmanship, records often lack meaningful information about the subjects of the photos. There has traditionally been a focus on preserving information about the origin and ownership of archival records, which can lead to a loss of information about Indigenous cultural context.
Open Collections contains records related to residential schools, which need to be treated with particular sensitivity. Below is one of the residential school photographs from the collection that shows only the exterior of the building, but other photographs are of children who attended. It is important to not erase this history, but trauma-informed practice could help guide the description and organization of these records to minimize harm to Survivors and other community members. For instance, consistent use of subject headings could help identify materials related to residential schools, whether someone is seeking those records or wanting to avoid them.
Preserving original information and descriptions, while balancing the need for updated language and additional context can be complex. Creating new standards for terminology and updating metadata for this volume of records takes time. There have been efforts taken to update descriptions, particularly harmful terminology, within some of the collections that have been digitized. However, this is a work in progress; in collections like the Uno Langmann Collection, you will notice some records use the term “Indigenous,” while others still use outdated language that is largely considered offensive.
It is important to consider how colonial perspectives and terminology effect Indigenous researchers, students, and community members who interact with these collections, and inform or limit historical understanding. The addition of contextual statements, like this one below from the landing page of the Uno Langmann Family collection in Open Collections, aim to mitigate these issues:
The Uno Langmann Family of BC Historical Photographs Collection contains harmful racist terminology, imagery and content reflecting the systemic oppression of Indigenous peoples and racialized communities. Examples include materials created by non-Indigenous people and organizations which reflect complex and unique relationships between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples as a shared history developed between their different cultures, races, ethnicities and ways of living. We include this material to document, acknowledge and reflect upon this history, while we recognize that much remains to be done towards reconciliation and justice and inclusion of oppressed peoples.
The purpose of this blog post is not to say that we have it all figured out when it comes to decolonizing our collections, nor to point out every issue. It is an acknowledgment that this is a continual process of learning, reflecting, and taking meaningful steps towards reconciliation with actions.
If you’re interested in exploring Indigenous stories through Open Collections, take a look at these past blog posts about the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people:
Explore the Uno Langmann Family Collection of B.C. Photographs here: https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/langmann
Explore the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection here: https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/chung
Explore the Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush Collection here: https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/plind
References:
Boiteau, J. (2024). Whose provenance? plurality of provenance and the redistribution of archival authority. Archival Science, 24(4), 717-738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-024-09453-x
Fraser C, Todd Z (2016). Decolonial sensibilities: Indigenous research and engaging with archives in contemporary colonial Canada. L’internationale. https://www.internationaleonline.org/contributions/decolonial-sensibilities-indigenous-research-and-engaging-with-archives-in-contemporary-colonial-canada/generate-pdf
Isbister, C. (2021). Indians in the database: Student relationships with subject headings. Pathfinder: A Canadian Journal for Information Science Students and Early Career Professionals, 2(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.29173/pathfinder38
