New Westminster Museum & Archives hosts a 100-year history of the Sikh community

by Prabhdeep Dhaliwal, SFU Student

In the heart of downtown New Westminster is the exhibit An Ocean of Peace: 100 Years of Sikhs in New Westminster, hosted by the New Westminster Museum & Archives and the Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar (Khalsa Diwan Society). As a label at the gallery states, “Sukh Sagar” translates to “an ocean of peace.”

The exhibition is displayed in a small blue room at the end of Gallery 7 of the New Westminster Museum & Archives. Devotional singing plays on the speakers in the room, and on the right there is a timeline with pictures and documents starting from the early 1900s and ending with 2019. Examples of these prominent events include the lot Bhai Bishan Singh bought for the building of the gurdwara, a protest against Operation BlueStar, and the first Nagar Kirtan (a religious procession commemorating the fifth God). 

There is also a glass display case featuring several Sikh relics including several sizes of  kirpans, a kind of sword, displayed along with brief descriptions of each item. Attention is brought to the fact that these swords were not meant to convey violence, but rather used for protecting oneself and others. 

Another exhibition label speaks of various celebrations and commemorations. On the wall to the left of the display there is a photo album and a bride’s wedding attire. The exhibit label entails the relevance of these artifacts as being from one of the first weddings at the Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar, which was the first Sikh temple in New Westminster. 

On the wall next to the adjoining room’s entrance, the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, is displayed along with a smaller prayer book called a Gutka. This adjoining room features a green chalkboard and a singular desk and chair. The chalkboard shows a few letters from the Punjabi alphabet; on the desk sits an alphabet book. This exhibit explains the use of the Gurdwara as a learning place where children and adults can come to learn how to read and write Punjabi.

Across from this is an exhibit label about a prominent member of New Westminster’s Sikh community, Bhai Mewa Singh, an activist who fought for India’s freedom from the British while living in New Westminster.  This section of the exhibit features pictures of his funeral, letters, and a ticket to view his hanging that was located outside of the New Westminster jail. Lastly, there is a display of personal items of a former Punjabi School teacher, including several pens, his turban, and a notebook featuring his writings. 

An Ocean of Peace: 100 Years of Sikhs in New Westminster is an informative and well-thought out ensemble of Sikh history in New Westminster. Each archive is carefully picked to commemorate 100 years of the Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar. Anyone who wants to learn about the history of the Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar would be enriched by visiting this exhibition. 

This exhibition curated by Paneet Singh and Naveen Girn is running from January 16 to May 31 at the New Westminster Museum and Archives. For more information you can check out the Facebook event.