The Cortes Island Museum and Archives Society is launching “Wayfinding: Stories of Maps and Place,” an exhibit largely composed of maps created by various inhabitants of the region throughout time, this weekend.

One map is covered in names unique to that map alone, within the exhibit.

Melanie Boyle, the museum's managing director/curator, points to a black and white map of the Discovery Island region as an example of a map with traditional Klahoose names.

“‘Klahoose Place Names Map’ …It's a large format map. We've scanned a copy and reprinted it…that is a really interesting project from 1998, of ʔayʔajuθəm (Ayajuthem) place names from the whole region of Klahoose, whether it's Cortes, all the way up to Toba.”

Boyle sums up the meaning behind the title of the show and why maps matter.

“Maps are something, I think that captures people's imagination." 

“There's a personal connection to maps as well. There's always a story behind it,” she went on.

A volunteer assisting with the installation, Monika Hoffman, is new to the island. She noted one of her favorite stories within the exhibit is the written word "Bush Poem" by local famed author Gilean Douglas.

“I like it for many reasons,” Monika explained, “but I think first and foremost, it's the inclusion of the written word. And part of what's largely a visual collection, so it incorporates written word into an arena that's typically dominated by images. And I like how it supports that, but it also just stands on its own.”

The exhibit opens March 26 from 1-4 p.m. and will be on display through the entire year. The museum is currently open on a winter schedule: Friday and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

To learn more about the stories within "Wayfinding," listen to the CKTZ News Update below: