Browse Exhibits (1 total)

The Cowichan Valley survey marker remains a crucial object for Canadian history.  Its division of the Cowichan Indian Reserve and Cowichan Valley, modern day Duncan BC, represents a larger cultural phenomenon in a uniquely Canadian context; the dichotomy of settler and First Nations communities and their relationship to land.  In short, the act of surveying lands demonstrates the importance of boundaries and ownership to Canadians, and the Cowichan Valley survey marker is a representation of the cultural, legal, and physical boundary between these two autonomous nations within Canada. 

What is a boundary?

A boundary is a physical or aritificial line that indicates the extent of owned land parcels.  Parcels are areas of land that can include waterways, buildings, natural resources, or airways and are legally owned.  A boundary divides parcels and is defined by the parties who have interest in that land. (NRCAN "Surveys, Parcels and Tenure, 2010)