Traveling Exhibit

Touring Sixties Scoop exhibit coming to Prince George

May 13, 2022 | 10:07 AM

PRINCE GEORGE—The Prince George Public Library and The Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta have partnered up to bring a nationally touring exhibit to town on June 1, 2022.

The Bi-Giwen: Coming Home – Truth Telling from the Sixties Scoop traveling exhibit is touring B.C. this summer and will be making a stop at the Prince George Public Library’s Downtown location. The exhibit shares the experience of survivors, including the personal testimonials of twelve people.

“The Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta (SSISA) is proud to bring this exhibit to Prince George,” said the Society’s president, Sandra Relling. “It describes the powerful and emotional stories and devastating impacts of Sixties Scoop in Canada. We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Prince George Public Library as we showcase this exhibit throughout BC. The exhibit is an opportunity to share and educate Canadians about the history of Indigenous people in relation to the Sixties Scoop.”

June 1, is also the start of National Indigenous History Month. The governments of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta have delivered formal policies for past practices and policies that resulted in the removal of indigenous children from their families.

“We believe hosting exhibits and conversations like this is extremely important to our community,” library board chair Mike Gagel affirmed. “At the Prince George Public Library, our mission is to build a resilient community by creating welcoming and inclusive spaces for every person to read, connect, and share. Bringing our community together to learn about this tragic and significant part of our history in a safe and supportive space is a vital part of this mission. We are fortunate to be able to work with great community partner organizations like the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta to learn about and acknowledge the history of our region and people.”

“The Sixties Scoop” refers to government practices across Canada from the fifties to the eighties that led to an unknown number of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children being taken from their parents, families, and communities by child intervention services and placed in non-Indigenous families. Many of these children experienced abuse, mistreatment, and neglect and lost touch with their families, communities, culture, and traditional language.