Draft:Sound Heritage (magazine)

Sound Heritage (later known as the Sound Heritage Series) was a series of historical monographs about British Columbia, based primarily on oral history sources, published in the years 197_–1983. It was edited and published in Victoria, BC, by the Aural History Program (and later the Sound and Moving Division) of the Provincial Archives of British Columbia (PABC).

Numbering of books in the series

Sound Heritage evolved in 197_ from Reynoldston Research and Studies (RRAS), a journal that focused on oral history as a discipline. Volume numbers were continuous between the two publications; volume 2 of RRAS was followed by volume 3 of Sound Heritage.

In 198_, Sound Heritage transitioned from a magazine to a monographic series, with consequent changes in numbering; volume 8 number 4 of Sound Heritage was followed by number 29 of the Sound Heritage Series (SHS).

Content

Early issues of Sound Heritage continued the RRAS format, featuring articles, essays, excerpts from interviews, and memoirs, sometimes loosely organized around a common theme. That style changed starting with vol. 3 no. _, Skeena Country, edited by Allen W. Specht. Except for a related short story, the entire issue was based on interviews recorded in the Skeena and Bulkley regions by Imbert (Robert) Orchard.

This idea of organizing issues around historical themes would continue for the life of the publication. A few types of popular themes would emerge.

• First Nations history: A notable pair of issues under the title "nut-ka," examined the history and survival of Nootka (Nuu-chah-nulth) indigenous culture after Captain Cook's arrival on the west coast of Vancouver Island. "Lillooet Stories" dealt with the culture and traditions of the Lillooet people (St'át'imc Nation).
• Regional history: Several issues were constructed as popular histories of BC regions and communities, such as Clayoquot Sound, the Gulf Islands, the Okanagan Valley, the Lardeau region of the West Kootenay, and the city of Victoria. Another double issue, "Opening Doors," focused on Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood.
• Industrial history: There were issues devoted to aviation, coastwise shipping, forestry, labour unions, railroading, and radio broadcasting.
• Social history: Included projects about missionaries, utopian settlements, and the propagation of tall tales.

SOURCES

A major and founding oral history collection of the Aural History Program, PABC, was the Imbert Orchard fonds, which contained about 950 interviews recorded all over British Columbia in the years 1959-1979 by CBC radio producer Imbert Orchard (1909-1991). Six Sound Heritage/SHS books were based exclusively on regional sub-series of Orchard interviews, including books on the Skeena and Okanagan regions and the city of Victoria. Orchard himself wrote two books on the Fraser Valley from his interviews, as well as "Martin: The Story of a Young Fur Trader," a biography that drew on 34 hours of interviews with Starret.

Many books drew on new source collections from thematic oral history projects commissioned or acquired by the PABC.

SOUND PROGRAMS

Several numbers of Sound Heritage/SHS had accompanying documentary sound programs, distributed on audio cassettes, that could be ordered from the archives. The sound programs were usually produced by the author or editor of the corresponding book. Some of these programs were condensations of the book's contents; others focused on one facet or one interview from the source collection.

LEGACY

In 1982, the BC government announced the cancellation of the Sound Heritage Series. The series ended in 1983 with the publication of SHS no. 40, Growing Up in the Valley: Pioneer Childhood in the Lower Fraser Valley, by Imbert Orchard. In 1984, an anthology of excerpts from the series was published by Douglas & McIntyre of Vancouver.