Isaiah Harris is inviting residents of British Columbia to go on a time-traveling adventure with him.
One of many contributors to a new multimedia show at the Cowichan Community Centre that explores more than 150 years of colonial history is the 20-year-old storyteller from the Stz’uminus First Nation.
Harris said, “Knowing about this history is different from learning about other histories.
Every region of the world has a distinctive history to share, but in the case of Vancouver Island, colonisation very recently took place. We are referring to 150 or 200 years ago.
Reconciliation, the journey of our generation, is written on the exhibit’s posters. The exhibit’s name, Thu-It, is Korean for “truth.” A three-hour immersive guided session or free admittance are available to visitors.
The exhibit, which is being put on by Social Planning Cowichan and the Quw’utsun’ Cultural Connections Society, tells the story from the viewpoint of Quw’utsu’n elders. It’s a “wonderful opportunity,” according to Harris, to become acquainted with the past of the territories they currently occupy.
He told Global News that “not many people here even know about this history.” “I wish I had understood a little bit more about the history of our local First Nations and of this place on Vancouver Island when I was growing up.
Harris has a long-standing fascination in the past. He claimed he was raised on the creation and oral histories of his country, but that as a young man, he was equally fascinated by European mediaeval history.
He stated that he gained more knowledge about historical individuals on the West Coast while taking a land and language course at Ladysmith Secondary School and later felt that he should contribute to telling their stories as an adult.
He said, “Learning more about the history of Vancouver Island really made me incredibly motivated to place a focus on Indigenous storytelling.
I really really hope that because people find those tales so compelling, they will also naturally draw toward them.
In the Orca Cove Media documentary film Tzouhalem, which explores the life of Cowichan Chief Tzouhalem, Harris is shown being interviewed.
In addition, he provided the narration for the March release of the movie, which was helmed by Harold Joe and Leslie Bland.
Harris remarked, “I was able to be a part of the Tzouhalem documentary, the narrative I was so familiar with and thrilled about, through this weird chain of circumstances.
“I’ve been learning as much as I can from the projects that I’m involved with because I feel like if I was a little bit younger I really might have benefited from knowing more about Indigenous filmmakers, but there was no opportunity for me to learn about those things. Being able to tell stories in this world has greatly benefited me as a storyteller and simply given me the assurance that there is a place for Indigenous stories.
The Thu-It exhibition is open to the public from today until October 6.
The exhibit debuted on September 6.
A new British Columbia exhibit features work by Stz’uminus youth that contrasts learning about other history.
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