Wouldn’t it be weird if British Columbia was no longer called ‘British Columbia’ (or B.C. for that matter)?

That’s exactly what one First Nations artist in the province wants.

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun says the name of the province should not reflect its colonial past and is outdated.

Not, only that, it’s racist, he also claims.

The artist – who is of Coast Salish and Okanagan descent – is known for his provocative works that highlight the colonialist suppression of the First Nations and the perpetual struggle for Indigenous rights to lands, resources, and sovereignty.

“Joining the Confederation of Canada, creating a province and then interning Indians onto colonial concentration camps is more than enough reason to change the name of British Columbia,” Yuxweluptun told Global News.

“This is really creepy and ugly. This is what racism is about.”

As part of Yuxweluptun’s latest exhibit at The UBC Museum of Anthropology, the museum has launched the #RenameBC contest that aims to “revoke the colonial stamp of British Columbia.”

According to Global News, Yuxweluptun prefers the name “New Nations” as the new working title for the province.

He hopes the issue will go as far as a public referendum.

BC are invited to share their ideas for a new name for the province online, and the museum will display the suggestions outside the artist’s “Unceded Territories” exhibition that runs until October 16. Yuxweluptun will review the suggestions.

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