Punjabi Canadian Legacy Project |Phase 2: History Across the Regions (2017-2018)

The South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), in partnership with the Royal BC Museum, and in consultation with the Punjabi Canadian Legacy Project Advisory Committee, engaged with British Columbia’s Punjabi communities, organizations and individuals to create the Punjabi Canadian Legacy Project (PCLP). The PCLP is preserving, exploring and sharing the contributions Punjabi communities have made to the history of BC and Canada.

Phase 1 of the project included several initiatives such as a gallery intervention event and establishing an advisory committee, For more information about Phase 1, click here.

History Across the Regions Project (HARP)

The History Across the Regions Project is made possible by the BC | Canada 150: Celebrating B.C. Communities and their Contributions to Canada fund, and aims to build Punjabi Canadian community hubs, and collect family histories in each major provincial region that has significant Punjabi Canadian roots (Northern BC, the Kootenays, the Okanagan, the Fraser Valley, the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island).

The PCLP undertook Phase 2: History Across the Regions Project (HARP) and built upon the work of the Royal BC Museum. We recognize that Punjabi Canadian heritage needs to be an integral component of BC’s historical records and public presence so that:

• Punjabi Canadians can take pride in historical ancestry and have a stronger sense of belonging.
• All citizens throughout the province can deepen their understanding of each other.
• Our society may evolve in positive ways that are impactful and have a lasting legacy.

The PCLP built on existing network in six provincial regions that have significant Punjabi roots:
Victoria and Duncan (Vancouver Island), Prince George (the North), Golden (the Kootenay), Kelowna (the Okanagan), Abbotsford (Fraser Valley), and Vancouver and Surrey (Lower Mainland).

In each region, the PCLP’s objective is to bring people together to record family histories, and share and collect Punjabi historical and contemporary perspectives on immigration, employment, social organisations, family settlements, integration, political struggles, experiences of racism, discriminatory legislation, inter-generational, intercultural experiences, etc. The project team traveled to each of these communities and, along with our project partners hosted workshops and consultations in each community. The PCLP team is also continuously engaged in historical research in each of these communities. The histories and perspectives that are collected are published on this site, other web based platforms, and social media.

The PCLP’s overall goal is to create a lasting legacy that enriches regional and provincial museum and archives collections and promotes public understanding of the intercultural Punjabi Canadian history -regionally, provincially and nationally.