Native museum suggestion finds early support
Mayor is heartened by response, but much work to make idea reality
Mayor Don Iveson says reaction to his idea to house a national museum of aboriginal heritage and culture at the old Royal Alberta Museum site has been “overwhelmingly positive.” The mayor said Saturday that Edmonton would be the ideal city for a national museum about indigenous heritage and the old museum site in Glenora would be the perfect place for it.
He stressed Sunday it’s a “very early stage concept” and would require a lot of consultation with indigenous groups, Edmontonians and other partners before the idea takes off.
“These projects take years and years just to plan and build support — both philanthropic and otherwise — before there are any requests of government,” he continued.
Richard Feehan, Alberta minister of Indigenous Relations, agreed the idea was in early stages, but said “if it sounds like it’s time to take it to the next step, I’d be happy to look at it.”
“One of the things we’re always looking for is places where Indigenous people, particularly in the city, can be represented and to gather and to be in relationship with non-indigenous people, and if that were to be one of the spaces, that would be very nice,” said Feehan.
Iveson said it’s the kind of project that he would expect all levels of government to be interested in, although there’s been no formal proposals, except the mayor’s public hope that the province keep its options open about what to do with the former museum.
Workers are in the process of moving exhibits from the old museum to the new one, which is expected to take until late 2017.
Iveson said the next step is to put an exploratory group together and that he’s happy to do that, adding the project will take “many champions” to get off the ground.
The mayor originally made the comments about the museum while speaking on a panel Saturday to discuss the role of design and community building in an era of reconciliation.
He said he wasn’t originally intending to toss the idea out at the event, but that the wide-ranging conversation took him down that path.
He and his co-panellist, Chief William (Billy) Morin of the Enoch Cree First Nation, discussed the importance of reflecting aboriginal people, stories and culture in structures and significant spaces within the city landscape.
Iveson noted the city is working to create more urban spaces, indoors and outdoors, where aboriginal ceremonies could be held. A new aboriginal ceremony room will be part of the renovated Stanley A. Milner Library.
Iveson said there is talk of having an elder-in-residence in the library.
The community medicine wheel garden, opened last year on the roof of the Shaw Conference Centre, and a proposed sacred fire, also in the conference centre, are other examples of acknowledging local aboriginal culture.
Naming parks and buildings after aboriginal leaders is important, added Iveson, pointing to the new Alex Decouteau Park, located on the corner of 105 Street and 102 Avenue and named after the city’s first aboriginal police officer. Decouteau, who was also an Olympic athlete, died during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.