Lytton Chinese History Museum after the fire.
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Original announcement for fundraising campaign
Over the years, the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC (CCHSBC) has experienced many opportunities to learn about the rich, intercultural history of Lytton on Nlaka’pamux territory through the Lytton First Nation, and the Lytton Chinese History Museum. We are truly heartbroken to learn that a fire engulfed the town on June 30, 2021. The scale and depth of loss the community is experiencing is devastating and unimaginable.
Since then, we have learned from owner Lorna Fandrich that the Lytton Chinese History Museum has been destroyed, along with the 1600 artifacts that it housed. All that remains is the digital archive she had fortunately developed. The Lytton First Nation has lost all of the spaces and services that are central to the livelihood of their community.
CCHSBC is launching a fundraising campaign to support the Lytton community. We have been in direct contact with our colleagues from the Lytton First Nation and Lytton Chinese History Museum, and will be working closely with them to determine the best ways to support their long and difficult journey to recover and rebuild. We are particularly interested in honouring and sustaining their cultural heritage and public history initiatives, building upon the work they have long contributed to in the region. 100% of the donations will go directly to the Lytton First Nation and the Lytton Chinese History Museum!
To thank you for your generous donation and support the Lytton community, we will be gifting donors with copies of our publications and more.
One of the publications that we will be gifting is Lily Siewsan Chow’s Blood and Sweat Over the Railway Tracks: Chinese labourers constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway (1880-1885)* which has significant historical ties to the Lytton area.
Canada-wide shipping is included as part of your generous donation. All donations above $20 will receive a CRA-approved tax receipt. Please see the donation chart below.
Since then, we have learned from owner Lorna Fandrich that the Lytton Chinese History Museum has been destroyed, along with the 1600 artifacts that it housed. All that remains is the digital archive she had fortunately developed. The Lytton First Nation has lost all of the spaces and services that are central to the livelihood of their community.
CCHSBC is launching a fundraising campaign to support the Lytton community. We have been in direct contact with our colleagues from the Lytton First Nation and Lytton Chinese History Museum, and will be working closely with them to determine the best ways to support their long and difficult journey to recover and rebuild. We are particularly interested in honouring and sustaining their cultural heritage and public history initiatives, building upon the work they have long contributed to in the region. 100% of the donations will go directly to the Lytton First Nation and the Lytton Chinese History Museum!
To thank you for your generous donation and support the Lytton community, we will be gifting donors with copies of our publications and more.
One of the publications that we will be gifting is Lily Siewsan Chow’s Blood and Sweat Over the Railway Tracks: Chinese labourers constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway (1880-1885)* which has significant historical ties to the Lytton area.
Canada-wide shipping is included as part of your generous donation. All donations above $20 will receive a CRA-approved tax receipt. Please see the donation chart below.
NOVEmber 1, 2021 update
Update November 1, 2021 - CCHSBC is pleased to announce that from July to October, we raised over $20,000 to support the Lytton First Nation and the Lytton Chinese History Museum. With that, we close our initial fundraising campaign in support of the Lytton Community. Just because our first round of fundraising has ended, it doesn't mean you can't still support the Lytton Community. We will continue to accept donations on behalf of the Lytton First Nation and the Lytton Chinese History Museum (please note that future donations will not receive CCHSBC's donor gifts, but all donations above $20 will receive a CRA-approved tax receipt). In addition, you are welcome to purchase a copy of Lily Siewsan Chow’s Blood and Sweat Over the Railway Tracks: Chinese labourers constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway (1880-1885) as proceeds from the sales will go toward our fundraising efforts.
Update April 13, 2022 - CCHSBC is delighted to host Lorna Fandrich, owner of the Lytton Chinese History Museum, John Haugen, Council Member of the Lytton First Nation, and Heidi Swierenga from the British Columbia Heritage Emergency Response Network (BC HERN) for a conversation on collaborative recovery efforts in Lytton.
"Recovering Lytton" will discuss recent recovery efforts to restore the rich cultural and historical legacies of the Lytton community and what the process of rebuilding will entail.
Speaker Biographies
Lorna Fandrich - Situated on the grounds of a former Chinese Joss House which is recognised on the BC and Canadian Registers of Historic Places, the Lytton Chinese History Museum collects, preserves, and displays artifacts and photos of the vibrant Chinese community who once lived in the region from 1858 to 1928. In addition to the physical museum, Lorna has spent countless hours building a digital database of her entire collect of over 1600 pieces and made it available through the Museum's website, which has been noted as a valuable resource by scholars and has drawn interest from around the world.
John Haugen is from the Nlaka’pamux Nation in Lytton, B.C. He has committed much of his life to the revitalization of First Nations languages, arts and cultures. He is a valued Knowledge Keeper within his tribal group – a go-to person for genealogy, history and place names. He is currently employed as a Restorative Justice Coordinator for the Tribal Council and will be playing a key role in repatriation of many ancestral remains to his nation from various institutions. Currently a member of the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park Board and the Lytton First Nation Council and Director of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, Mr. Haugen has also served as Director for the Fraser Basin Council, the First Nations Alliance for Land Management and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. He also volunteers as host of a gathering on the fourth of every month to share knowledge, language, protocols and teachings that help him and others stay connected to who they are as Nlaka’pamux.
Heidi Swierenga is a Senior Conservator and Head of Collections Care, Management and Access Department at the Museum of Anthropology. She is a member of the Steering Group of the British Columbian Heritage Emergency Response Network (BC HERN), and organisation that provides resources and training on emergency response and salvage to the galleries, musems and archives sector in BC.
"Recovering Lytton" will discuss recent recovery efforts to restore the rich cultural and historical legacies of the Lytton community and what the process of rebuilding will entail.
Speaker Biographies
Lorna Fandrich - Situated on the grounds of a former Chinese Joss House which is recognised on the BC and Canadian Registers of Historic Places, the Lytton Chinese History Museum collects, preserves, and displays artifacts and photos of the vibrant Chinese community who once lived in the region from 1858 to 1928. In addition to the physical museum, Lorna has spent countless hours building a digital database of her entire collect of over 1600 pieces and made it available through the Museum's website, which has been noted as a valuable resource by scholars and has drawn interest from around the world.
John Haugen is from the Nlaka’pamux Nation in Lytton, B.C. He has committed much of his life to the revitalization of First Nations languages, arts and cultures. He is a valued Knowledge Keeper within his tribal group – a go-to person for genealogy, history and place names. He is currently employed as a Restorative Justice Coordinator for the Tribal Council and will be playing a key role in repatriation of many ancestral remains to his nation from various institutions. Currently a member of the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park Board and the Lytton First Nation Council and Director of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, Mr. Haugen has also served as Director for the Fraser Basin Council, the First Nations Alliance for Land Management and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. He also volunteers as host of a gathering on the fourth of every month to share knowledge, language, protocols and teachings that help him and others stay connected to who they are as Nlaka’pamux.
Heidi Swierenga is a Senior Conservator and Head of Collections Care, Management and Access Department at the Museum of Anthropology. She is a member of the Steering Group of the British Columbian Heritage Emergency Response Network (BC HERN), and organisation that provides resources and training on emergency response and salvage to the galleries, musems and archives sector in BC.
We will continue to accept donations on behalf of the Lytton First Nation and the Lytton Chinese History Museum (please note that future donations will not receive CCHSBC's donor gifts, but all donations above $20 will receive a CRA-approved tax receipt). In addition, you are welcome to purchase a copy of Lily Siewsan Chow’s Blood and Sweat Over the Railway Tracks: Chinese labourers constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway (1880-1885) as proceeds from the sales will go toward our fundraising efforts.
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Thank you for your generosity and support!