Museum of Vancouver Explores Local Forests and Indigenous Knowledge in Long-Term Exhibition

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Visitors to Vancouver can explore a long-term exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver titled That Which Sustains Us, which examines human interactions with forests and the natural environment in the local area. The exhibition focuses on traditional ecological knowledge related to forests, the consequences of urbanization and deforestation in Vancouver, and possibilities for sustainable land use practices.

The project was developed with input from community representatives from the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations, alongside environmental historians and forestry researchers. Instead of a narrative of progression, the exhibition explores arboreal life through five lenses:

• Land and Water

• Food

• Movement

• Economy

• Home

Exhibition designers Daniel Irvine and Chad Manley incorporated projections of terms written in two Salish languages, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim, onto the gallery walls. Plants featured in these projections can also be found in the Courtyard Garden visible through the gallery window. An online program funded by a Digital Now grant provides resources for visitors to hear the correct pronunciation of featured plant names.

The exhibition also features educational components including demonstrations on ancestral skills such as bark tanning fish skin leather by artist and educator Janey Chang, and natural dyeing with mushrooms by wildlife ecologist Zoe McDonell. Artefacts on display include the First City Seal of Vancouver, dating to the circa 1880s.