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Indigenous Communities ‘They Call it Progress, We Call it Destruction’: Memory and the Construction of the W.A.C Bennett Dam by Maggie Poirier B.A., University of Northern British Columbia, 2010 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the School of Communication Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology © Maggie Poirier 2019 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2019 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Maggie Poirier Degree: Master of Arts [Communication] Title: ’They Call it Progress, We Call it Destruction’: Memory and the Construction of the W.A.C Bennett Dam Examining Committee: Chair: Svitlana Matviyenko Assistant Professor Jan Marontate Senior Supervisor Associate Professor Kate Hennessy Supervisor Associate Professor School of Interactive Arts & Technology Alison Beale Examiner Professor Date Defended/Approved: November 6, 2019 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract This thesis discusses the W.A.C Bennett Dam Visitor Centre and how memory is presented and re-presented in visual form through exhibition and film. In this thesis, I offer the W.A.C Bennett Dam as a case study. Prior to 2015, the Visitor Centre presented a ‘high modernist’ story of ‘progress’ when describing the construction of the W.A.C Bennett Dam. This thesis explores the expansion of this narrative through collaborative efforts between designers, filmmakers, BC Hydro and First Nations communities. It places emphasis on the creation of the film ‘Kwadacha by the River’ (2017) as a focal point of the expression of memory, comparing and contrasting this with the former featured film at the facility – ‘Canyon of Destiny’ (1968). Keywords: Heritage; Film; Memory; W.A.C Bennett Dam; Kwadacha First Nation; Visual Sovereignty; Environmental Transitions iv Dedication To home and family. v Acknowledgements Many thanks to Mitchell McCook, Jessica Hallenbeck and Lindsay Thompson for giving generously of their time to speak with me about the W.A.C Bennett Dam renovation project, and ‘Kwadacha by the River’ (2017). Without their insights this project would not have been possible. Thank you to the Hudson’s Hope Museum for the use of archival images and many a happy research hour spent with coffee and good company. I would also like to say a special thank you to my supervisors, Jan Marontate and Kate Hennessy, for their help, guidance and support. vi Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii Ethics Statement ............................................................................................................ iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ....................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... vii List of Figures................................................................................................................. ix List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................ xii Glossary ........................................................................................................................ xiii Introductory Image ....................................................................................................... xiv Chapter 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 Positioning the Researcher ............................................................................................. 6 Overview ......................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2. Background ............................................................................................ 12 Ideology and Northern Industrial Expansion .................................................................. 13 Two Rivers Policy As ‘High Modernist Scheme’ ............................................................ 14 Indigenous Communities ............................................................................................... 16 Treaty Territory .............................................................................................................. 20 The Visitor Center ...................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 3. Theoretical Foundations ........................................................................ 30 Memory and Multidirectionality ...................................................................................... 30 Time Maps .................................................................................................................... 33 Ways of Knowing .......................................................................................................... 36 Worldviews and Value Systems .................................................................................... 38 Institutions of Power ...................................................................................................... 46 Visual Sovereignty ........................................................................................................ 49 Collaboration and Design .............................................................................................. 51 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 52 Chapter 4. Methodology ........................................................................................... 53 Archival and Documentary Research ............................................................................ 53 Commemorative Displays & Site Visits .......................................................................... 54 Films ............................................................................................................................. 54 Research Interviews ...................................................................................................... 55 The Research Participants ............................................................................................ 57 Lantern Films – Creative Director, Co-Director, Editor : Jessica Hallenbeck .............. 57 Kwadacha First Nation & Lantern Films – Filmmaker & Co-Director, Content Advisor: Mitchell McCook ........................................................................................................ 58 BC Hydro – Director of Indigenous Relations: Lindsay Thompson ............................. 59 Analysis Framework ...................................................................................................... 61 vii Chapter 5. Commemorative Centres ....................................................................... 63 The W.A.C Bennett Dam Visitor Center......................................................................... 63 Exhibition Materials of the Era: The Peace Canyon Dam .............................................. 66 Summary ................................................................................................................... 70 Renovation at the W.A.C Bennett Dam ......................................................................... 71 Summary ................................................................................................................... 77 Chapter 6. Films ....................................................................................................... 79 ‘Canyon of Destiny’ (1968) ............................................................................................ 79 ‘Kwadacha by the River’ (2017) ..................................................................................... 87 Summary ................................................................................................................... 94 Chapter 7. Creative Collaborations ......................................................................... 96 Themes ......................................................................................................................... 97 Collaboration ............................................................................................................... 113 Visual Sovereignty ...................................................................................................... 115 Sovereign Gaze ....................................................................................................... 116 Authority and Ethical Relationships .......................................................................... 118 Autonomy ................................................................................................................ 119 Epistemological Foundation ..................................................................................... 120 Art ............................................................................................................................ 122
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