AHN MAR 28 2019

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THURSDAY, march 28, 2019 Vol. A-75, No. 13

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The Fort St. John Huskies celebrate their NWJHL Senator’s Cup victory at Crosslink County Sportsplex in Grande Prairie on Saturday, March 23, 2019. The Huskies claimed their second championship title in a row with an absolute thrashing of the JDA Kings 8-1, winning the final series in six games. > > Full story on B1

Indigenous museum planned at Charlie Lake cave matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

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An indigenous heritage group hopes to turn the Charlie Lake cave site into a cultural museum showcasing 10,000 years of First Nations history in the North Peace. Two dozen people attended a public hearing on Monday, March 18, as the Tse’K’wa Heritage Society seeks to rezone the five-acre property, at 19629 Butte Lane, from residential to institutional. It’s the first step toward establishing a formal museum, expected to be a multi-million dollar development. “Our number one priority is to protect that place. It is a historical site,” said society president Garry Oker. Tse’K’wa means “rock house,” and though well-known to local First Nations, the cave was only discovered by archaeologists in 1974, and was excavated in the early 1980s. Among the hundreds of artifacts found were a 10,500-yearold stone bead — the oldest example of human adornment in North America — spear and arrow points, harpoon heads, as well as bones from humans and various animals including bison and raven. The artifacts tell stories of travel patterns and ceremonial practices, and make the cave one of the most significant sites on the continent, Oker said. Local First Nations, including Doig River, Prophet River, and West Moberly bought the land

Concept plan for the Tse’K’wa Heritage Centre in Charlie Lake, with indigenous artifacts found in the cave and the region.

with the cave in 2012. Preliminary plans for the museum include a cafe and gift shop, an amphitheatre and interpretative trail, and space for hundreds of repatriated indigenous artifacts from the region in need of a home to store and display. Along with preserving the cave site and protecting it from ongoing vandalism, the museum would be part of a broader effort underway to bring more visibility to local indigenous history through culture and public art. “We know the Peace Country

is well developed in all kinds of industrial development. Where is there a place where we can go to look at the local culture and have visibility to that?” Oker said. The proposed development, however, has prompted concerns from some neighbours, who worry about their property values and privacy with an influx of visitors into the area. “Our concern is it will be busy,” said Lisa Kantz. “We’re not against the beautiful idea of it being a museum. Our concern is what’s going to happen to the value of our prop-

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erty in the future. Who’s going to buy our property if there’s a bus going there every half an hour?” “I think it is going to be more popular than you think.” The museum plan calls for parking for 27 vehicles. While the museum will attract some of the estimated 350,000 tourists who travel the Alaska Highway each year, it will see more visits from local school groups, Oker said. He disagreed the museum would impact property values, and said there’s plenty of time to work with neighbours to address any concerns. See MUSEUM on A5

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