July 24th, 2026
t̓išosəm — Tla’amin Nation has released Rekindling the Fire, a five-year plan to guide the development of ɬawšəs (thlow shesh), the Nation’s first ever museum. The plan sets out how Tla’amin will build and care for its collection, tell its story through exhibits, train the people who will run the museum, embed it in daily life, and work alongside Sister Nations and coastal museums as ɬawšəs takes shape.
ɬawšəs means left behind on purpose. It is drawn from the story of the Dog Children, in which a čičyɛ buries an ember in a clam shell so her granddaughter will have the gift of fire. Ever since Tla’amin masks, regalia, drums, and rattles were collected and burned in front of the Roman Catholic Church in the late 1800s, Tla’amin has been fighting to collect and preserve its material culture and heritage. ɬawšəs is the house where the Nation will keep what was left behind on purpose.
Rekindling the Fire is dedicated to the Tla’amin Elders and Ancestors who, through everything that was taken, protected the Nation’s belongings, teachings, and stories, and left them behind on purpose so they could be found again. It is dedicated, too, to the knowledge keepers and the team carrying ɬawšəs forward today, and to the children who will meet their ancestors in this house.
The plan builds on work already underway and guidance from the Tla’amin Culture Committee. Last year Tla’amin opened Our House ʔəms ʔayɛ cultural centre and the Traditional Food Processing facility, developed standard operating procedures, and hired the core team behind the museum, including Collections Manager Sosan Blaney and an ʔəms ʔayɛ Manager Leslie Louie. In October 2025, as part of the museum’s hohojɛ, or getting-ready phase, a Tla’amin team visited four coastal museums, U’mista in Alert Bay, the Museum at Campbell River, the Cumberland Museum and Archives, and the Courtenay and District Museum, and much of what they learned shapes this plan.
The plan was approved by motion of Executive Council on July 15, 2026, and submitted to the Four Pillars Society to unlock five years of funding.
Quotes:
“ɬawšəs, our museum, is that clamshell. It is the house where we keep what was left behind on purpose. This plan, Rekindling the Fire, illustrates how we will blow on the ember of what remains, sparking new life, interpretation and ultimately creation. We are racing against time to do this work, and we are full of hope. I invite you to walk alongside us, and to help us rekindle a fire that was nearly lost,” said Hegus John Hackett.
“We are now preparing to open ɬawšəs to bring our treasures home. It’s like welcoming back our long-lost family members. I look forward to the day where our čičʊy can stand in front of a belonging made by their own great-grandparent, hear the story in ʔayʔaǰuθəm, and understand their long and proud inheritance,” said Culture and Heritage Housepost Brandon Louie.
“Our culture is a living culture. Far from a cabinet of curiosities, ɬawšəs will be a place to tell not only our history but who we are today and where we are going next. I’m honoured and humbled to share our plans for setting up ɬawšəs, our future house of treasures.” — Tla’amin ɬawšəs Collections Manager Sosan Blaney
Backgrounder – Rekindling the Fire: Five-Year Goals for ɬawšəs
- Build and Care for the Collection – Adopt a museum mandate and collections policies, secure display cases and archival supplies, procure collections software to catalogue the collection, and build proper climate-controlled storage.
- Tell Our Story Through Exhibits – Develop permanent and rotating exhibits, build a virtual exhibit to reach members living off-lands, and extend the story onto the land through outdoor and land-based exhibits.
- Training and Certification to Care for Our Belongings – Train staff in collections care, conservation, and curation, work toward recognition as an official museum and cultural heritage repository, and build a dedicated volunteer base.
- Embed the Museum in Community and Daily Life – Deliver education and programming with a focus on children and youth, centre wellness and ta-ow in the space, and welcome the community’s guidance through ongoing feedback.
- Collaborate with Sister Nations and Coastal Museums – Work with Xwémalhkwu (Homalco), Klahoose, and K’ómoks on shared heritage and storytelling, and sustain partnerships with coastal museums and post-secondary institutions.