I’ve had a strange month. How about you?
I have tried to write a few columns during this time, but struggled with the many thoughts going through my mind. In the end, I decided to tell my story of the past month. Please feel free to do the same with me by emailing wdhm@persona.ca. I would love to read your experiences and observations and preserve them in the museum’s records for current and future generations.
March 17, 2020 was the watershed moment of the Covid-19 crisis for me. All persons living in Alberta were prohibited from attending museums, while still permitted in other gatherings of 50 people or less. Truthfully, I was in shock. The Heritage Museum had made a decision before this to thoroughly clean the building and close off all interactive components so that we could continue to be a refuge for our community. We were going to stay open, with the age-old mandate of “no touching” in our back pocket and the knowledge that outside of special events, we seldom see 50 visitors a week, let alone in a day. Even if, for some reason, 50 people decided to visit at the same time in one day, it would still be one-third of our maximum occupancy and therefore well below the 50 per cent mandated for other gathering places. We were confident we were doing what was best for the well-being of our community. I’ll admit I was angry that choice was taken away from us.
The frustration that museums were deemed as one of the first non-essentials in our province was only fueled by seeing a letter to the editor describing another local museum as “a warehouse to store castoffs” and as a “nice to have”, which only should be “contemplated when times are good”.
For the record, museums do not accept just anything into their collection, but instead carefully select those items which can help them best fulfill their mission. For the Heritage Museum that mission is “to unite with the local community through history, culture, events, and education”. Yes this may be a “nice to have” thing in our community when times are good, but the reality is our mission, along with those of all other cultural institutions across the world, becomes essential when times are not so good, like now.
Look at how people are coming together and thriving with the help of history, heritage, arts, and culture.
History articles are popping up on the Spanish Flu and other health pandemics as well as crises. They make comparisons and learn from data, but also talk about how people coped, and use similarities to show that we do have the strength to do what we are being told we must. My favourites are the stories after the crisis and about the innovation and developments in society that followed.
We are clinging to heritage. Shortly after the strange hoarding of toilet paper fiasco, grocery stores started to run out of yeast because individuals and families began to make bread again and hand down other traditions they were given. All of us are better appreciating the value of gathering with friends and family in general. Telephone calls are on the rise, more personal emails and letters are being written, texts and instant messages have become the new post card to simply say I miss you and wish you were here.
As our day-to-day lives settle, we are better appreciate art and culture. This was first seen in Italy as those in true lock down began to sing from their balconies. Song brought them together. Across Canada and the US people are painting their windows so others out on a walk or drive have something to search for. Community matters. Others are reading books, watching movies and TV, tuning into concerts, and even taking virtual tours of museums. All of this is possible because we have continued to teach, support, and fund the arts and culture in good times and in bad.
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April 8, 2020 was the turning point of the Covid-19 crisis for me. I saw this photo of Karlene Cutknife at Maskwacis Bear Park Arbour on Facebook with the words:
“Danced today for my family, friends, nation and students. It’s a challenging time, with prayers we can and will get through this. Dance to pray like my father taught me. From my home fire too yours! Prayers sent!”
This photo provided the message of hope for me that I needed. I was no longer angry. We are all using history, heritage, art, and culture to do what we can. We will get through this, good things will come, even if we cannot see what they are yet. Meanwhile, museums will continue to showcase all these things. We will collect and preserve them so that we may all learn from them, share them, and unite our communities.
At the end of his public address on Friday, Premier Kenney referred to our “culture of resilience” and ended by sharing an observation passed down to him.
“In a fierce prairie storm,…cattle often get spooked, turn tail, and try to run from it, getting separated and lost. But the buffalo, which Indigenous people have always revered as a symbol of life on the prairies, herd closely together and face the storm head on, coming out of it strong and united. That captures who we are, and how we’re going to get through this.”
Regardless of where we or our ancestors came from, we are all connected to this land and the culture and traditions that have risen from it. And so, I would like to encourage everyone to dance through these strange times and make the change they want to see. Meanwhile, the Heritage Museum team will continue to work as hard as ever to share our collective history and heritage with you while our doors are closed, and look forward to seeing you again when they open.
Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, April 15, 2020
