Sanctuary in an Unwelcoming Land

Like the tracing board, this banner evokes a legendary temple, the Temple of Ko Kai, which features in the rituals of the Chee Kung Tong, or “Chinese Freemasons”. This secret society provided a variety of services to Chinese immigrants who faced racism and hardship in Canada. Library and Archives Canada and the Canadian Museum of History jointly preserve a collection of artifacts and documents recovered from the abandoned Chinese Freemasons’ Hall in Cumberland, BC, which illustrate the society’s role.

Banner: Place Guarding Ko Kai, Mountains and Rivers Forever Glorious (translation)
Unknown calligrapher, early 1900s
Ink on cotton
© Canadian Museum of History, 78-130

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