The First Peoples HallCelebrating First Peoples in Canada
Gatineau, Quebec, January 30, 2003 — The Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC) is pleased to announce the opening of a major permanent exhibition dedicated to the cultures, history and contributions of Aboriginal peoples across Canada.
"This permanent exhibition installation will change our sense of history," says the Museum's President and CEO, Dr. Victor Rabinovitch. "The First Peoples Hall brings a new perspective to our view of both the past and the present. It reveals the challenges faced by Aboriginal peoples, both before and after the arrival of Europeans."
The new First Peoples Hall (FPH) occupies 2,000 square metres (20,000 square feet) on the Museum's Level 1. It substantially increases the permanent exhibition space in what is already Canada's largest and most visited cultural attraction.
A message from the Algonquin Council of Elders of Kitigan Zibi welcomes visitors to an exhibition that presents the history and contemporary cultures of Aboriginal people in Canada through personal testimonies, artifacts, stories and works by contemporary Aboriginal artists.
Since 1992, curators of archaeology and ethnology at the Canadian Museum of Civilization have worked in consultation with Aboriginal cultural experts from across Canada to develop the exhibition around four themes: We are still here, We are diverse, We contribute and We have an ancient relationship with the land. The completed exhibition includes more than 1,500 historical objects and works of art, as well as approximately 500 documents and illustrations.
"The First Peoples Hall helps express a history of cultural survival," says Dr. Rabinovitch. "It acknowledges the range and scope of contributions that First Peoples continue to make to our world. Visitors will discover an Aboriginal Canada told through the hearts and souls of its First Peoples."
FACT SHEETS
Media Information:
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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