Commentary published by The Guardian - October 4, 2006
By Ian Scott
Earle Lockerby’s letter ‘We need a major museum’(The Guardian, Sept. 23, 2006), which notes the lack of clear policy for a provincial museum on P.E.I., sums up the situation well. Seeing the potential removal of the central collections of the Museum Heritage P.E.I., from the capital, to be housed in the premier’s riding, is a sad reflection of the current state of museum policy on P.E.I.
Many Islanders are aware of the efforts during every decade since 1881 to achieve a provincial museum in Charlottetown. The Heritage Foundation, a membership organization established in the 1970s, was granted a new mandate (and name) in the 1980s as a provincial museum system, with additional roles including natural history. Unfortunately, along with these new roles came a lack of funding to fulfil them.
Operating the branch museum system for the summer season remains a major focus with effort focused on restoration and enhancement of the seasonal sites. The incorporation of the Acadien Museum, the restoration of Beaconsfield with adaptation of the carriage house for programming along with Eptek provide valuable year-round activities.
Still the story that is told within the seven sites is fragmentary. In every other province in Canada, the story of their unique area is told, from the beginning of time. We live in an amazing land filled with equally amazing flora, fauna, and history — yet the story of our place on earth goes untold.
In 1883 when rare dinosaur bones were accidentally excavated on P.E.I., they were shipped to a Philadelphia museum where I understand they remain today. Fossils of plants living 280 million years ago on P.E.I., which were previously unknown, were named after the discoverer, Island naturalist Francis Bain. Our geological and archeological past remains unappreciated, perhaps simply because it remains unknown to most of us.
We have moved (one would hope) from an era where giving our precious artifacts to foreign nations with pride in preserving and interpreting natural and human history was acceptable. Yet each day, we continue to lose our history and our heritage through neglect, and lack of care. These days, often it is the loss of our oral history, with no oral archives on P.E.I. collecting the personal stories and music of our most senior residents. While our Gaelic name, Eilean a’ Phrionnsa (P.E.I.) is long gone from the lexicon of Islanders — our oral history in storytelling remains vital, but no official effort is made to record it. Thankfully, individuals like Dutch Thompson valiantly dedicate their spare time to save what remnants they can.
Each year more of our archeological story, that of the earliest Islanders, is lost to coastal erosion.
Again, most provinces actively ensure that their prehistory and the knowledge to be gained from it is not lost for ever.
Our heritage doesn’t survive through neglect. It takes active effort to be preserved. Allowing museum and heritage policy to become a political handmaiden will reap for all Islanders situations like the current one, where millions are suddenly available to be poured into the premier’s home riding, when nothing had existed for the well-thought-out plans that had been developed by organizations charged with museum development over the years.
Not that Murray River doesn’t need creative development and good ideas for reuse of existing buildings; it has needed this since the current premier was first employed as a community development officer. But everyone who has studied community development knows the basic guiding principle — not to impose a major big box development on a local community; build on local strengths, enhancing what is sustainable and meets local needs. A storage building, no matter how well described, which provides no local employment is neither a good mix for Murray River residents, nor is it in the best interests of Islanders across the province who will be footing the bill, long after the premier has retired.
There is much that needs to be done in museum development, and there are people like Earle Lockerby, with vision for the full provincial picture, who we should be listening to.
We need a clear provincial museum policy to avoid having key decisions being driven by parish pump politics with provincial boards so desperate for funds they will accept anything proposed.
Ian Scott served as executive director of the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation during the 1980s.
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