I was at the opening of the Sto:lo Resource Centre in Chilliwack today and had a tour of what is a very cool building, LEED gold certified and because of their climate-controlled rooms is (or will have?) class A museum status.
We ignore the First Nations history of our region, province and country too frequently, but a facility like this has the potential of really educating the clueless among us about the culture and traditions of those people that were here hundreds of years before us.
I particularly love how historically worked up we all get about anything that happened or relates to the 19th century. In other words, 200 years ago at the most.
Sto:lo archeologist Dave Schaepe couldn't show me, but told me about, a cedar-weaved basket they have in water, in the refrigerator that is 1,800 years old.
Repeat: 1,800 years old.
Talk about being here first.
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