The Sikh Heritage Museum launched its eighth official exhibit this past weekend (March 6, 2016). The exhibit, titled Evolving Interpretations: Sikhism and Women explores the five kakkar’s and other symbols of Sikhism through the angle of the Sikh woman. The exhibition has been curated by the Centre for Indo Canadian Studies in partnership with the Visual Arts Department at UFV.
The goal of this exhibit is to counter the idea that Sikhism-the-Faith is naturally patriarchal and male-centred. The exhibition re-analyzes the 5 kakkar’s through a female perspective and also analyzes passages from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji through the female perspective.
In this exhibit Sikh women see themselves as important meaning makers of the faith through the following:
1.The 5 Kakkar’s – articles of faith: the ethical Khalsa is genderless and supports self-empowerment
2.The meaning of the primary message and its universal appeal
3.The textual interpretation through a female lens
4.The Sikh female who brings voice, understanding and sense-making
The opening launch was well attended by dignitaries including Members of Parliament Mr. Jati Singh Sidhu and MLA Darryl Plecas as well as three City of Abbotsford Councillors: Kelly Chahal, Sandy Blue and Patricia Ross. The launch featured beautiful and powerful poetry reading from Abbotsford’s Punjabi Lekhek Manch Group. The exhibit will be available all year long for viewing until December, 2016.
