"Land of the painted totem" : northwest coast native art at the service of the 1958 British Columbia Centennial
Date
1998
Authors
Weatherston, Brenda Lee
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Abstract
The 1958 British Columbia Centennial was the first of a series of centennials for the province which marked significant events in the history of British Columbia. These centenary events played an influential part in the construction of British Columbia's sense of identity, at a time when the province was undergoing rapid modernization and the general public's perceptions of First Nations were undergoing fundamental change. This thesis examines the role of Northwest Coast Native art and culture within the 1958 centenary celebrations and their commemorative and symbolic context. It explores how government and private organizations, as well as tourism, shaped the Centennial programme. Through a survey of the Centennial projects that incorporated elements.of Native culture, it considers the Centennial's use of First Nations cultural resources, who exercised control over these resources, and the implications and benefits of their use for First Nations and non-native parties. It reveals that while First Nations were marginalized in the planning and management of the Centennial, elements of First Nations culture were central to the symbolic messages presented in the 195 8 celebrations by its organizers.
The 1958 Centennial provided an opportunity for the production of numerous local, as well as province-wide celebrations and projects, to commemorate history or to establish permanent legacies for the province. Chapter one provides some general background on the government-sponsored Centennial celebrations. It examines the organizational structure of the Centennial Committee and the extent to which First Nations participated in the planning and management of the Centennial programme. The role of First Nations within the Centennial is analyzed through a discussion of the overall state of Native/non-native relations at the time. It continues by introducing a survey of initiatives organized or approved by the Centennial Committee which incorporated First Nations culture or imagery. It then presents three Centennial promotional initiatives: the commemorative Canadian silver dollar (coordinated by the Federal Government), the poster competition, and the Committee's general advertising and promotions campaign.
Chapter two documents in detail the Royal Totem Pole, a major Centennial project which produced the Province's commemorative gift for Queen Elizabeth II. Chapter three discusses some of the Centennial souvenir initiatives and introduces projects that were either organized by First Nations groups or communities, or involved First Nations contributions. In contrast, a selection of non-native proposals which included Native cultural content are discussed briefly to demonstrate the range of projects considered or undertaken during the year. The public impact of the surveyed Centennial projects is analyzed through promotional materials, press coverage, and archival correspondence.
The Conclusion of this thesis explores the 1958 Centennial context and its projects through an analysis of the issues of cultural appropriation, representation, and authenticity. It considers the impact of the 1958 Centennial program through a comparison with more recent British Columbia commemorative initiatives such as the 1967 and 1971 Centennial celebrations, Expo '86 in Vancouver, and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria. The l 958 Centennial celebrations provide an opportunity to explore the appropriation of First Nations cultural resources and their role in the ever-changing construction of British Columbia history and identity.