In 1798 in Ohio, a Methodist minister named James B. Finley met with members of the Wyandot nation and asked them about their God and his. The Wyandots were descendants of Wendat refugees who, more than a century before, had fled from a land that kept changing names, and had just seven years earlier been … Continue reading Amerindian Gods
This week, a Nepalese coworker mentioned that, in the Nepali language, the word you use to refer to your cousins is the same as the word you use to refer to your siblings, and the words you use to refer to your aunts and uncles are the same you use to refer to your mother … Continue reading Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters
On Halloween, Canadiana, “a web series on the hunt for the most incredible stories in Canadian history,” posted a story about a French Canadian The Werewolf: In the 1760s, strange reports began to appear in a French-Canadian newspaper. There was, according to the Gazette de Québec, a vicious beast preying on the population of the colony: a … Continue reading Werewolves of Quebec
In 1921 the American Museum of Natural History, of which I am a member, hosted an International Eugenics Congress in Manhattan. Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish-born American sometimes claimed by Canada, “served as honorary president.” The conference aimed to foster a “climate of international cooperation for eugenics goals.” There was indeed growing enthusiasm for eugenics on both … Continue reading A brief history of eugenics and sexual sterilization in Canada
From 1776 to 1825, wars of independence swept through the Americas. Canada, for the most part, was an exception. Why? The Americas in the Revolutionary Era, a Great Courses lecture by Marshall C. Eakin, surveys the countries of the Americas and how they gained their independence. It focuses on the period he calls the “revolutionary … Continue reading Non-revolutionary Canada in the Revolutionary Era
Among the things I would have expected to be taught (and remember being taught) in high school is the fact that during World War II German submarines were sinking boats and killing Canadians in the Saint Lawrence River and Gulf. Instead, I learned about it from this tweet: 6 July 1942 – World War II … Continue reading Nazi submarines in the Saint Lawrence
I’ve said before that a tagline for this blog could be “I read Canadian history so you don’t have to.” I started out with very little knowledge of Canadian history and have written about the parts I’ve found interesting as I’ve learned. This is my 40th post out of the 52 weekly posts I promised … Continue reading What I’m reading about Canadian history
Regular readers know I’ve become interested in the idea that it’s very difficult to understand the past unless you can gather enough context to develop what some call “historical empathy.” In short, people from the past have world views different enough from ours that their actions and experiences can’t be interpreted through our own sets … Continue reading A circular past and an extended present
The country where I live has been talking a lot about anthems this week. What does it mean to stand for a national anthem, and what does the anthem itself stand for? Georges E. Sioui — an historian and Wendat who lives in Vancouver — remembers being taught the Canadian anthem at his Lorette reserve … Continue reading Standing for anthems
The bad news is I’m very sleepy, typing from a cozy bed, and I’m not going to last long. The good news is that I’ve got a collection of tweets to share with you, BuzzFeed-style, before I lose consciousness. 1. Bet you didn’t know Labrador has a flag, well it does It's Labrador's Flag Day … Continue reading 8 surprising tweets about Canadian history
