“To My Valentine.” Ephemera, 1910, English. Public Domain. Reads: “The world is large, come, let us go, To Loveland, across ice and snow.”
The latest in blog posts, news, and podcasts from the world of Canadian history.
Missed last week’s roundup? Check it out here.
Environmental History
- The most commonly-used words in #envhist last week, according to the newly minted Dr. Jessica DeWitt (!!!!!), were: “Nuclear,” “Climate,” and “Energy.”
- Heather Green posted an update on NiCHE New Scholars for the coming year, including the three Google Hangouts, an upcoming Twitter conference, and a new series based on our very own Historians’ Histories!
- Alan MacEachern also reviewed Steven Mannell’s “Living Lightly on the Earth:” Building an Ark for Prince Edward Island, 1974-76 for NiCHE this week.
- First there were dogs, then there were squirrels, and now there are pigeons? What is LAC trying to tell us…?
- New historical climate data from a number of countries, including Canada, is showing how ice loss is becoming increasingly common.
Archaeology
- Absolutely check out this piece on the fantastic work that Kisha Supernant (Métis) is doing with Muskowekwan First Nation to search for unmarked graves from the Muskowekwan Residential School.
- More here.
- Archaeologists are also searching for unmarked graves in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Saint John, primarily from poor and working-class Irish immigrants. As many as 16,000 graves may be contained in the cemetery, most of which are unmarked.
- Also, check out this amazing partnership between the Grey Nuns, Pointe-à-Callière, and the Université de Montréal to renovate the Youville Mother House into an educational centre and museum.
- While there continue to be major problems around the construction of the Site C dam, construction has unearthed cultural items from First Nations people of the Peace River Valley, as well as prehistoric animal remains. The article seems mostly interested in the bison for some reason…
- The latest Dig It column is here. This week, Ramsay McKee explained the archaeological information revealed by melting glaciers.
- Anishinabek heritage and burial information sessions are ongoing, to help citizens navigate existing laws to facilitate repatriation and ancestor-care.
History Education
- In her latest post for Active History, Samantha Cutrara explained why we need Black History Month all year long.
- Kaitlin Curtice initiated a fascinating discussion on Twitter about when we first learned about Indigenous peoples in school.
- Michael Mohammed shared a great infographic on twenty-one things you may not know about the Indian Act.
- This probably isn’t a surprise to anyone, but while most students can name Christopher Columbus, few have ever heard of the Taíno people. SMH
- This week on Unwritten Histories, I discussed how to teach in comfort and style, based in large part on recommendations from my awesome readers! I also discussed the politics of respectability, and what it means to dress like a “professional.”
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration History
- The Graphic History Collective launched the latest Remember/Resist/Redraw poster, on the Sir George Williams Protest. The artwork is by Lateef Martin, and the accompanying essay is by Funké Aladejebi.
- Daniel Samson posted a few great Twitter threads on African Nova Scotian history, including
- This week Retroactive reprinted Bashir Mohammed’s essay on Black civil rights activist, Lulu Anderson, from The Yards Magazine.
- This is a really neat story of Jean Augustine’s visit to Iqualuit for Black History Month, and making connections between Black History and Inuit history.
- The Toronto Reference Library blog shared some images from their new exhibit on Toronto Hip Hop.
- The latest Findings/Trouvailles blog post is by Lily Cho on the “Chinese Immigration Form 9,” and how it tore families apart.
- Check out these beautiful tapestries depicting Black history in New Brunswick.
- Malinda Smith is doing even more fabulous work with her new initiative to bring attention to Canada’s Black heroines, a video called “Trailblazers: Black Women in Canadian Politics. This is part of a larger project bringing more attention to Black history in Canada, called “A Seat at the Table: Engendering Black Canadian Pasts and Futures.” You can see the video itself here.
Indigenous History
- The Canadian Museum of History shared this beautiful harpoon head carved with a human face by the Dorset people.
- Cheryl Maloney and her family, from Sipekne’katik First Nation, have created a new documentary on the Mi’kmaw origins of ice hockey!
- All this week the UofA Faculty of Law blog looked at Indigenous law, including posts on the five sources of Indigenous laws and legal systems.
- Find out about the first Indigenous astronaut!
- Joanne Hammond shared a 1956 NFB photostory on Cowichan sweaters.
- This thread, by Nathalia Okalik (Inuit), on Eskimo Identification Tags, is a must-read.
- Inuit Elder, Mary Anowtalik, shared her memories of the forced relocation of herself and her community during the Ahiarmiut relocations.
- Zoe Todd breaks down the piece from last week on the genocide of Indigenous peoples and climate change, particularly with respect to the western biocentric understandings of human-environmental entanglements.
- Check out this piece by Zoe Tennant on the Native Canadian Haute Cuisine Team from the 1992 Culinary Olympics.
- I just love this image shared by Paul Seesequasis (Willow Cree) of Indigenous nursing students, including the story of Lillian Shirt (Saddle Lake Cree Nation).
- The Canadian Museum of History has just announced the acquisition of nearly 1,000 individual works of Inuit art, from the estate of Dr. Margaret Perkins Hess.
- The federal government has announced that Justin Trudeau will apologize to the Inuit for their mistreatment during the tuberculosis epidemics between the 1940s and 1960s in March.
New France/British North America
- This week on Borealia, Todd Webb reviewed Denis McKim’s Boundless Dominion: Providence, Politics, and the Early Canadian Presbyterian Worldview.
- Karin Wulf wrote a great essay on the complex reality of “Vast Early America.”
- Zoe Louise Jackson has written the latest piece for the Atlantic Loyalist Connections blog on the racial discrimination of the 1785 Saint John Royal Charter.
- In his latest piece, Patrick Lacroix reflected on how scholars should intersect with the lived reality of marginalized peoples, with respect to the study of Franco-Americans.
Political History
- This week on Acadiensis, Black Brown discussed storytelling and the history of Canadian medical malpractice law, and why more people talk about stories of poor medical treatment than legal rules.
- In his latest video, Christo Aivalis drew attention to Tommy Douglas’ socialist beliefs.
- In a fascinating piece, Larry Shockley discussed the time when Canada and the US prepared for war against each other.
- This week on Histoire Engagée, Carol-Ann Rouillard and Ann-Julie DuRocher discussed the role of Quebecois women in discussions on the underrepresentation of women in political life.
Social History
- Omg, isn’t this postal sleigh just the cutest?
- Ben Bradley shared an amazing 1947 ad for “vacations unlimited” from CN.
- Meanwhile, this map that he also posted is killing me.
- Roundup Queen, Jenny Ellison, was back this week with a new blog post on the Canadian Museum of History blog, on how Georges St-Pierre has shaped sports!
- As Daniel Samson noted, this kind of bowling was also popular in the Maritimes.
- Check out these historical recipes for staying warm during the Polar Vortex. My secret recipe: moving to the Lower Mainland.
The History of Gender and Sexuality
- This week on Notches, Elspbeth Brown published a new post on Canada’s first gay student activist group, the University of Toronto Homophile Association, established in 1969.
- Gary Kinsman has written an op-ed criticizing this year’s theme of WinterPride, on the 50thanniversary of the “partial decriminalization of homosexual acts in Canada,” and the limits of the Omnibus Bill of 1969.
Local History
- Cathal Kelly has written a tribute to Ontario Place.
- And Murphy Shewchuk has written a eulogy for the Murray Church in Nicola, BC.
- Check out the latest from Historical Nova Scotia, including new pieces on
- This week Whistorical shared the stories behind some of their trail names.
Digital and Public History
- I for one was highly amused when I heard that the Conservative Party released a spoof Heritage Minute on “Liberal Scandals.” And I was also glad to see Historica Canada condemn the video. You can see their statements here and here.
- There is a new online exhibit from Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador, featuring a walk down Main Street in Windsor, Newfoundland.
- The City of Vancouver Archives completed the digitization of over 5,000 photographs by Don Coltman, and they are now available online.
- Catherine Lu wrote this fantastic op-ed in response to recent comments from McGill that they needed more “time” to consider renaming the Redmen.
- It’s looking increasingly like September 30th will be the new statutory holiday commemorating victims of residential schools.
- The ongoing project on Illustrated and Interactive History of Mile End is entering phase three, which will include: Chocolats Andrée, a group of houses on the west side of Esplanade, and the former Edward VII Protestant school.
- Find out about this new exhibit created through collaboration between the Diefenbaker Canada Centre and the University of Saskatchewan departments of History and Indigenous Studies, called “Grand Theft Terra Firma.”
Doing History
- Revelations that Manitoba Hydro did not formally record abuse allegations until five years ago is, unfortunately, an excellent example of the colonial archive.
- In this week’s post, LAC discussed their holdings from the Canadian National Land Settlement Association.
- Find out how Matt Mayer ended up with paper copies of the Winnipeg Telegraph newspaper from 1920.
- This week was Colour Our Collections Week!
- Here is the main page
- And here are this year’s participating Canadian libraries and archives:
- Active History announced the winners of their 2019 Small Grants: Matthew Hayes and Arpita Bajpeyi and Sinead Cox!
- Krista McCracken revealed one of the secrets of our plans for world domination frequent collaboration, spreadsheets! As you can see, we also shared a fondness for the strike-through function.
- Jennifer Evans reflected on the predominance of white men and male networks in the archives.
- Emily Lonie explained how the move of the City of Coquitlam Archives has been doing, and the new online exhibit documenting the occasion! Who else kinda loves that they created an online exhibit about this?
- The Saskatchewan Archives is celebrating archives week, though this piece on the occasion doesn’t make any mention of the closure of the Regina branch.
- Erin Millions posed a great question on Twitter regarding citation practices for Indigenous traditional knowledge, family histories, and survivor testimonies.
- Find out about the preservation of the Voûte chez Ti-Père fonds at the Quebec City Archives.
- The StarPhoenix has gifted the Saskatoon Archives 400,000 images and news clippings from 1948 to 1965 and 1970 to 1986.
- In the latest blog post from the CCWH, Katie Rollwagen reflected on becoming the new editor of Gender and History.
Miscellaneous
- You may remember that calendar of the all-male “notable Canadians” I mentioned a couple of weeks ago? Turns out it was plagiarized too.
- The latest biography from the DCB is for engineering professor, Adhémar Mailhiot.
Podcasts
- In the latest History Slam episode, Sean Graham spoke with D’Arcy Jenish about his new book, The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hand of the FLQ.
- Edward Dunsworth shared some of his favourite lesser-known history podcasts on Active History this week!
- The issue of renaming the McGill Redmen was also the topic of this week’s episode of the Only a Game podcast.
- In the latest episode of the Ben Franklin’s World podcast, Liz Covart spoke with Kevin Dawson on his book, Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora.
- This week the Secret Life of Canada takes a look at John Ware’s story.
- The latest History Chats episode is a recording of a 2014 CHA panel on “Canadian Archives At Risk?”
In a depressing turn of events, it snowed here this week! Sigh. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this week’s Canadian history roundup. If you did, please consider sharing it on the social media platform of your choice. And don’t forget to check back on Tuesday for a brand new blog post! We’re doing something special, and unusual, for Valentine’s Day. See you then!
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