Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

By Eli J. Ridder

Medicine Hat Archives work to better include Indigenous, LBGTQ voices

Oct 29, 2024 | 5:08 PM

The City of Medicine Hat has been working to ensure that the Archives are representative of the diversity of a community that includes Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+ and other equity-seeking voices, Archivist Philip Pype told a council committee this week.

“A lot of focus has been on truth and reconciliation and efforts that archives can make in being inclusive and engaging with Indigenous communities,” Pype told CHAT News in an interview Tuesday.

“We’ve been working with Miywasin (Friendship Centre) in particular, Metis communities and getting content…online.”

In one example, a student was hired through Canada Summer Jobs to transcribe a collection of Métis oral histories that date from the 1980s for online consumption, the archivist told the Monday public services committee meeting.

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Projects like that allow for the Archives to work on long-term relationship building, said Pype.

“We’ve been working with Miywasin for as long as I’ve been here and that was one of the first connections I made when moving to Medicine Hat 20-plus years ago,” he said.

“But also making new connections, attending events, getting beyond the archives wall personally…has been a great growth for me personally and also helps us make those connections being visible in the community.”

Pype said the Archives division also likes to see the community access the files and tell stories.

“Things like working with Brian Conrad and the Our Town series on CHAT is a great example of that,” he said.

“A number of people access the archives using photographs and recordings as well as doing research for blogs and articles.”