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Land, Indigenous peoples, settlers, and today’s communities.

Since time immemorial, Ancestors of the people called K’ómoks today consisting of the Pentlatch, Ieeksan (eye-ick-sun), Sasitla (sa-seet-la), Xa’xe (ha-hey) and Sathloot (sath-loot) people have been the caretakers of this land, which they called the “Land of Plenty.” This Land of Plenty stretched from what is known today as Kelsey Bay in the north, down to Hornby and Denman Island in the south, and included the watershed and estuary of the Puntledge River, also acknowledging that these boundaries and place names are colonial constructs.

The K’ómoks First Nation refer to the lands between the bays of Comox and the Beaufort mountain range as the path between, it was a travel and trade route to the Alberni corridor and a connection to the indigenous communities on the western side of the island.

Land agreements included the 1884 Settlement Act stripped these lands for its caretakers. At the Museum we acknowledge that we are a colonial created institution, and I would like to thank Charlene Everson, Emily Shopland and Violet Williams for guiding the museum in early discussion on what reconciliation could mean for our organization and how we could create actionable steps; in maintaining a positive dialogue with a forward focus, sharing contemporary K’omoks narratives, and incorporating First Nation languages where they felt it appropriate. Their time and guidance helped us gain insight and learn how to best support their voice in our museum’s walls. This is an ongoing process and we have so much more to learn.

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Crowd at the first Miners’ Memorial service, 1986 (987.037.042)
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Community

Miners Memorial

Standing In Solidarity

"The church and school bells would toll their sad refrain.
Death at the mine. Again." - Poem by Dawn Copeman

On June 20, 1984, a 3.5-magnitude earthquake struck Sudbury, Ontario’s Falconbridge nickel mine, causing a cave-in that killed four miners. This tragedy led to Sudbury's first miners' memorial event the following year.

In 1986, Cumberland became the first community in British Columbia to host a similar event. Between 1874 and 1966, over three-hundred men lost their lives in the Cumberland coal mines. Though decades had passed since Cumberland's mines closed, the memories of mining, the grief over lost lives, and the recognition of labor activists like Albert Goodwin and Joe Naylor, who championed workers' rights and the pro-union movement, remained strong.

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The Ballad of Ginger Goodwin (982.036.002)

The annual event commemorates and celebrates the lives of those who carved out the very foundations of our village; featuring workshops, walking tours, musical performances and graveside vigils including at the Chinese and Japanese cemeteries.

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Photograph of Brian Charlton and Anne Davis (Read more)

In 2018, the 33rd Miners' Memorial attracted hundreds to mark the 100th anniversary of union organizer Albert Goodwin's death. The event featured music, workshops, and a re-creation of Goodwin's 1918 funeral procession.

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Albert “Ginger” Goodwin funeral procession reenactment (2018.014.001)

The Miners’ Memorial remains an important fixture in the community's calendar. The hard work, resistance and strength of character the mining men and their families showed embodies the Cumberland character and remains something the community take pride in today.

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Miners’ Memorial Day banner (987.037.002)