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Citation: 

Bains, Satwinder Kaur. “When Old Becomes New and the Telling is Retold.” In Diverse Spaces: Identity, Heritage and Community in Canadian Public Culture, edited by Susan Ashley, 170-87. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013.

Abstract/Summary: 

In 1894 the first Sikhs, primarily land owners from the Doaba region of Punjab, arrived on the coast of British Columbia. Attracted by the offer of work in a raw and newly colonized land many intended to earn enough money in Canada to buy more land in their home country, and essentially return home in a short amount of time. For many returning home never became a reality, thus creating vibrant and well established communities despite being subjected to experiences and negotiations that resulted in both assimilation and hybridization. This article explores the story of the Sikh Heritage Museum located in Abbotsford, BC, as told by the author who undertook research on the Sikh pioneers who arrived in Canada in the early 1900s. The museum building itself holds significant importance; Sikh immigrants in Abbotsford originally built this permanent structure in 1911 as a gurdwara. This gurdwara has received designation as a National Historic Site in Canada and is the only one to receive such designation in any Sikh diaspora settlements in the world. Upon gathering ideas in 2007, of opening a museum in the gurdwara’s recently renovated and vacant langar hall, the community confronted the challenge of (re)telling the story as they established this first Sikh ethnographic museum in Canada. This article explores how the Sikh Heritage Museum takes on the colonial heritage discourse questioning how history is portrayed and the relationships between myth, memory, colonized and colonizer. The museum dedicates itself to the Sikh pioneers of the community through telling stories, and to correct inaccuracies by portraying another aspect of Canadian history. It also takes a pro-active role within the cultural community of Sikhs towards a more complete self-realization.

Source/Credit: 
Kelsey Wood-Hrynkiw