FPCC has released a paper called Recommendations for Decolonizing British Columbia’s Heritage-Related Processes and Legislation.
FPCC asked David M. Schaepe and Kierstin Dolata, from the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, and George Nicholas from Simon Fraser University to develop this paper. This is the first phase in a multi-year effort to access and determine options for achieving equitable spaces and opportunities to recognize, include and revitalize Indigenous cultural heritage in B.C.
“We believe in small steps taking us great distances. Some of the steps outlined in this report are easy, others require considerable time and effort. Whatever the pace, each step will move us forward in a good way.” (p. 63)
The report covers three key areas:
- Review and commentary on the Government of B.C.’s Heritage Branch policies, programs, guidelines and laws.
- Presentation of research on good practices and approaches, initiatives, programs, policies and legislations related to Indigenous cultural heritage nationally and internationally.
- Summary of research findings and develop a set of recommendations.
The paper presents a set of ten recommendations to advance decolonizing the processes and legislations affecting Indigenous cultural heritage and how to move forward together. The recommendations reflect the FPCC policy paper Recognizing and Including Indigenous Cultural Heritage in B.C. and the related Fact Sheet, that was released in 2019. If adopted, they could help to decolonize government approaches to Indigenous cultural heritage in B.C. and throughout Canada.
FPCC is engaging in work to understand what is needed to decolonize archaeological policies and practices. This work relates to the articles in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the B.C. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) that address Indigenous cultural heritage.
This paper is of interest to people working in archeology and Indigenous cultural heritage. If you have questions about this paper or would like to receive a hard copy of this report, please contact info@fpcc.ca.
Learn More [Links]
View and Download: Recommendations for Decolonizing B.C.s Heritage-Related Processes and Legislation
View and Download: Recognizing and Including Indigenous Cultural Heritage in B.C. and Fact Sheet
About the FPCC Heritage Program
Current FPCC funding opportunities
Contacts
Heritage Program Manager Karen Aird: karen@fpcc.ca
Media requests related to this paper: media@fpcc.ca
Acknowledgments
The Authors: David M. Schaepe, George Nicholas and Kierstin Dolata. The full bios of the authors are available on p. 71 of the paper.
Assistance from: Kelly Bannister, Catherine Carlson (Inlailawatash Ltd), Joanne Hammond (cover art) and Bert William.
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