The Punjabi Experience in British Columbia
Primary Documents
Read on for articles about this subject from the Royal BC Museum, research tips and links to other sites.
From the Royal BC Museum
Definitions of South Asian, Indo Canadian and Punjabi.
A press release from the Royal BC Museum describes an intervention staged by the Indo Canadian community in the museum’s logging exhibit.
Where to Begin Your Own Research
If you are looking for information specific to British Columbia, check the online catalogue from BC Archives. New material is always being added.
Watch these helpful instructional videos on how to search the BC Archives:
How-to: BC Archives Genealogy Search. Learn how to find records on births, deaths, marriages or baptisms in BC.
How-to: BC Archives Collections Search. Learn how to find any documents aside from those used in the genealogy search, including maps, photographs, textual records, moving images or audio recordings.
Outside Links
These links will take you away from the Learning Portal. Come back soon!
This collection of oral histories from seven regions in BC that have significant Punjabi Canadian roots, was made possible by the Royal BC Museum in partnership with the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley and the generous support from BC | Canada 150: Celebrating B.C. Communities and their Contributions to Canada.
This book by Phinder Dulai of verse and photographs about immigrant experiences on the Komagata Maru, is recommended to BC teachers and students by ERAC (Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium).
Messages from Premier Christy Clark to Punjabi community consultation participants in Abbotsford and Prince George, 2016.
This website celebrates 100 years of Sikh history in Canada (1897–1997).
A timeline outlining significant moments in Sikh Canadian history, from 1897–1997.
Interesting content about Sikh immigration and adaptation to Canada.
A history of the Komagata Maru incident.
A Virtual Museum of Canada page about Punjabi communities in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.