A century of audio and video recordings of coastal Indigenous language and culture will be preserved digitally, thanks to a donation to the Royal BC Museum.
The Vancouver-based Wesik Family Foundation has donated a quarter-million-dollars to the museum to digitize more than 28,000 photos, audio and video recordings collected between 1890 and 1990. Only 20% of the collection has been converted to digital format, the donation will help the museum finish the job.
“This generous donation from the Wesik Family Foundation will support the digitization and preservation of language and cultural traditions of more than 200 Indigenous communities and nations located throughout British Columbia.” says Tracey Drake, CEO, the Royal BC Museum, in a news release. “Digitizing the audio-visual collection ensures long-term care and sharing of significant cultural knowledge and voices.”
The collection includes documentary photographs and films taken by early anthropologists and scientists, along with sound recordings of Indigenous languages, stories, and songs.
The museum says the donation will also help transfer cultural knowledge back to Indigenous communities.
