Preserving Indigenous Heritage: Digitizing Archival Video and Audio Recordings

Recently the Kwusen team has been working with communities to digitize large collections of archival recordings, preserving their contents and making them available to community members. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of digitizing Indigenous archival materials to ensure their accessibility for future generations. Preserving cultural materials can often pose challenges to Indigenous communities, as digitization of analogue audio and video recordings requires specialized equipment, training, and a considerable amount of time.

The Need to Preserve

Many Indigenous communities have an archive or collection of dozens or even hundreds of oral history interviews conducted over the span of several decades. These interviews were often documented in analogue formats such as VHS tapes, audio cassettes, and reel-to-reel recordings, which deteriorate over time. This is what makes archival recordings so significant一 they have the preserved knowledge of Elders that may otherwise be lost to time.

The Role of Analogue Equipment

While digital technologies offer convenient means of storage and access, analogue equipment plays a crucial role in the digitization process. Analogue-to-digital converters, cassette players, VCRs, and reel-to-reel machines serve as bridges between the past and the present, allowing the transfer of analogue recordings into digital formats.

In an effort to aid in the digitization process, Kwusen has collected many different kinds of analogue technologies, and Kwusen staff have been trained to handle delicate archival recordings. Kwusen is happy to help clients preserve their invaluable cultural recordings, ensuring that their knowledge and teachings are accessible for generations to come. Above, we’ve included photos of some of the analogue equipment we’ve used over the past several years to digitize collections for the Upper Nicola Band, Kelly Lake Métis Settlement Society, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, and other communities.

Reach out to us if you have an analogue collection you would like digitized!