Celebrating Sinixt culture, 20th anniversary edition of The Geography of Memory
By Contributor
Two Nelson events will showcase the beauty and resilience of Sinixt culture on October 24-25, part of a transboundary tour that starts in Revelstoke on October 20 and ends at Gonzaga University in Spokane on October 30.
Films, readings and discussions across the transboundary region will focus on the return of the Sinixt and celebrate a new and expanded 20th Anniversary edition of a local classic, The Geography of Memory.
On Monday October 24 at 7 p.m., the Capitol Theatre will screen two short films: “Washed Away,” a film about Columbia River Treaty impacts, by Agathe Bernard, and, an eloquent composite of the June 10 celebration at Lakeside Park, by Carlo Alcos. LaRae Wiley, Sinixt contributor, and author Eileen Delehanty Pearkes will read from the expanded edition of her book to round out the lively and informative evening.
On Tuesday October 25 at 7 p.m., the Nelson Museum, Archive and Art Gallery will host a panel discussion “Watershed Reflections: The Ecology and Culture of Place.” The panel, including Sinixt Cultural Facilitator Shelly Boyd, Jan Englis and Pearkes, will be moderated by Lesley Garlow, museum Educator and a member of the Haudenosaunee, Cayuga, Turtle Clan.
The evening discussion will explore the impact modern borders and other political boundaries have on how all people connect to places, most especially the mountain home surrounding Nelson.
“The new edition speaks to the depth of truth that is possible if historical evidence is seen through an intersectional and collaborative lens, and to the breadth of work ahead of us all when considering Truth and Reconciliation,” says Garlow. “Regardless of the colonially imposed border, the truth is the Sinixt are still here.”
Both events are free of charge, thanks to the generous support of the Capitol Theatre (421 Victoria Street) and the Nelson Museum Archives and Art Gallery (502 Vernon Street).
To reserve your free ticket for the theatre go to https://capitoltheatre.ca or call the Box Office Tuesday to Friday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Photo caption: Shelly Boyd, Sinixt cultural facilitator shows the new edition.
