An interpretative centre at the former St. Eugene Mission residential school gives the Ktunaxa Kinbasket people a chance to reinvigorate their culture.
"The Ktunaxa Kinbasket Interpretive Centre is what we are opening up," said Troy Hunter, the project's interim co-ordinator. "It's a museum being built to the standards of museum conservation. With that we're going to have exhibits portraying local Ktunaxa Kinbasket art, culture and history from our own perspective."
The Ktunaxa Kinbasket nation includes five bands - Shuswap (Kinbasket), Columbia Lake, Lower Kootenay, Tobacco Plains and locally-based St. Mary's band.
"Quite often the museum experience is 'this is the way it was,'" Hunter said. "We want to show people that the Ktunaxa Kinbasket are living people and that our culture is continuing."
Housing the interpretative centre in the guts of the renovated residential school, formerly known as the Kootenay Indian Residential School, is not without problems because many children suffered at the hands of the institution's caretakers. More than 150 children a year from aboriginal communities in the Kootenays, Southern Alberta and Central Okanagan were housed at the school every year until it closed in 1970.
But instead of tearing the building down the tribal council decided to transform something negative into something positive. The interpretive centre is part of the entire transformation of the site that now includes the St. Eugene Mission golf course, Casino of the Rockies and a new hotel complex being built by Delta Hotels.
"It was said in 1984 by the late elder, Mary Paul, that since it was with that building [the residential school] that the culture of the Kootenay Indian was taken away that it should be with that building the culture should be returned," Hunter said.
This profound comment remains the interpretive centre's mission statement, Hunter said.
The entire St. Eugene project is the only development in Canada where First Nation's people decided to turn the icon of an often sad period of its history into a powerful economic engine.
Once the interpretive centre is operational it will mark the first time in many years that Ktunaxa Kinbasket cultural artifacts will be on public display locally.
Hunter was one of a number of people who worked on a summer project in 1985, which established a museum in the old residential school's chapel.
"We had tourists and locals come down and we would tour them through the mission and they would look at our historical exhibits and archaeological collections," Hunter said. "We'd also tour them through the old St. Eugene Church, which was built in 1897."
On-site archaeologist Wayne Choquette has come up with a concept of an eco-museum.
"The idea is that we are living in a museum," Hunter said. "We want to breathe life into that concept through the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Interpretive Centre. Our exhibits are out there on the land and we are able to interpret that and can put together self-interpretive packages or build it so people can hire a guide and go into specific areas."
Hunter envisions a number of self-guided tours complete with audio recordings and maps that would allow folks to explore the region.
In essence, the interpretive centre becomes a springboard for tourists, locals and band members to understand the Ktunaxa Kinbasket interaction with land.
There is one caveat to the eco-museum idea.
"We have to be sensitive to sites that are at risk of destruction," Hunter said. "For example, the Cranbrook petroglyphs that are located near the city were buried because people were taking pieces of it away and that's sad."
But before all this can happen the St. Eugene Mission Heritage Restoration Society must raise some capital funds to finish the interpretive centre.
"The first phase is opening the interceptive centre," Hunter said. "I'm starting with an empty shell. We have to finish the shell, finish walls, install the floor, lighting and electrical, as well as environmental controls."
The restoration society received a $5,000 grant from the Regional District of East Kootenay (by way of the Columbia Basin Trust's community initiative program). Lake City casinos are already on board as a Golden Eagle sponsor (donations of $25,000 or more).
"We're a non-profit society and have to renovate 1,300 square feet inside the old St. Eugene Mission building that was built in 1912," Hunter said.
The display centre is sealed and air-tight to help house sensitive artifacts. Hunter said another $113,000 is ideally required to purchase specialized equipment that will bring the interpretive centre up to AA museum standards and build a multi-media gallery. Essentially meaning the proper controls for light, temperature, and humidity are in place to preserve precious pieces.
"We have security cameras installed and other measures in place," Hunter said. "With that (rating) is achieved we can borrow artifacts on loan from other museums."
Any size of donation will be appreciated to help get the project complete.
"Although we would like a major corporate sponsor the key to success for the gallery is getting Maple Leaf Sponsors," Hunter said of the $88 to $999 sponsor range. "We encourage individuals and businesses to call up and become sponsors."
There are five orders of sponsors for various levels of financial commitment.
Anyone wishing to donate or get more information about tax deductible donations can contact Hunter at 417-9261 or 489-5833.
"Phase II is building the tee-pee village and running it next year."
The village will be located on a meadow just below the existing Many Hands arts cooperative buildings where Joseph Creek runs into the St. Mary's River.
"It's a beautiful spot," Hunter said. "It will be a 24 unit teepee village and teepees will be available for overnight stay. We will have nightly storytelling and traditional pit cooking and maybe offer a taste of dried buffalo meat, stuff like that."
Hunter said many people don't realize the Ktunaxa travelled at least three times a year onto the plains to hunt buffalo.
The eco-museum and eco-tourism aspect is part of Phase III. Although Hunter said a guided tour of the St. Eugene building, the defunct residential school, will be available once on-site work is completed.
The St. Eugene Mission residential school closed its doors in 1970.
Hunter said Isaac Birdstone, one of the last students to attend the school, will be the guide on this particular tour that can be co-ordinated through the interpretive centre.