My First Nations Museum : An Image Is Worth A Thousand Words

Welcome to the Museum of First Nations History Hello, my name is Julia, and I will be your museum guide today. It is my job to make this experience both interesting and enjoyable for you, and all those around you.

Before we continue, let me give you a brief explanation of what you will be seeing today. The exhibit we will be visiting today is the exhibit of First Nations History. We will explore the main characteristics of the First Nations culture, as well as their conception of the world, and other aspects of their past and present day lives.

If You Will Simply Follow Me... As we begin this journey into the life of the First Nations, you will find that their religion was quite important to them.

Religion They practiced Animism, which means that they believed that all elements in nature had a soul or a spirit. They also believed that the Earth and its nature was a gift from the creator, and that it should be treated with respect, honoured and treasured for all generations. They passed on their traditions and culture orally.

Their religion involved many ceremonies Their religion involved many ceremonies. They had ceremonies to honor the Great Spirit (or Great Manitou), to name a baby, for a girl's coming of age, for a boy's first hunt, for marriage, and for death. They also engaged in gift giving and “smoke”. Ceremonies

But did you know that in native culture, death was actually perceived in a positive way? Death was thought of as part of the Circle of Life (which was Birth, Life, Death, and Return to the Spirit World on a continuous loop), so it was celebrated.

Back to their ceremonies Back to their ceremonies... Their ceremonies included wampums, peace-pipes, dream catchers, dancing, and singing. Let’s take a closer look into these topics, shall we..

Wampums Peace Pipes Over here we have Wampums. Wampums are belts woven with beads that are carved from shells. They were exchanged at treaty ceremonies. Here is one of the most powerful and sacred objects used by First Nations – the peace pipe. Through the pipe, they would communicate with the spirits and make their needs known (asking for the things they needed in their lives).

The Great Peace of Montreal (1701)is one of the most important ceremonies in which First Nations participated. The F.N. and their representatives signed an agreement with New France and its representatives.

Here is the Dream Catcher Here is the Dream Catcher. It was hung near a sleeping area or from a baby’s cradleboard to sort dreams. The bad dreams would get caught in the web, while the good dreams flowed through to the dreamer. It was traditionally made from a hoop of bent willow with a webbing of sinew. Dream Catchers

Dancing and singing was a very important ritual to perform at a ceremony. A drum is used during ceremonies to provide the beat for dancers, and is also used during songs and prayers. People sang and danced to the beat of a drum (which was made from hides of bison, elk and deer), and the beat of the drum would call out to the spirits. Dancing and Singing

To your right, you have the shaman To your right, you have the shaman. A shaman , was generally a healer, interpreted dreams but he was also seen as a prophet, a truth seer, and a guardian of mythology. Shaman

Now follow me, but please do watch your step Now follow me, but please do watch your step. Someone had spilled their coffee this morning – my apologies every one. Just step around it.

Now where was I. Oh yes – I was going to talk about weapons Now where was I... Oh yes – I was going to talk about weapons! Typically, a bow and arrow was used for the First Nations’ hunting and war. It was the most efficient way to stalk their prey quietly without being noticed and potentially scaring their prey away. Weapons

Now please follow me... All of what we have learned so far about the First Nations, was before encounters with the Europeans (Christians). To your right, you will find the section of the exhibit that represents the First Nations lives AFTER Christian encounters.

For the First Nations, one of the main things that changed after Christian encounters was the presence of missionaries. The missionaries wanted to evangelize them, and changed their culture by converting them to Christianity. Diseases were introduced by the Black Robes or Jesuit missionaries…specifically to the Hurons in Huronia. Religion

Weapons The Christians also impacted the way that the First Nations hunted, by introducing them to metal tools and guns. This made the First Nations dependant on their weapons, rather than depending on their skills.

Trade Before the Christians arrived, the Natives never had a subsistence economy with established trading networks ( i.e. Hurons) and the Iroquois Confederacy. The Natives shared goods within the group , but also traded for goods when they needed them(Iroquois tobacco ). The effects on First Nations trade pactices was profound. Their concept of money and value changed….for the worse. In many ways they embraced the concepts of Europeans. They overhunted, waged wars and wiped out many of their own groups …all so they might gain an advantage against their enemies. Examples are the Dutch introduction of guns to the Iroquois and later the Iroquois destruction of Huronia.

Alcohol One of the most significant goods introduced by the french was Brandy. They called it “L’eau de vie” and eventually engaged in the Brandy Parliament where they outlawed the sale of brandy to the First Nations.Alcohol is still a major problem on modern reserves.

Oh my goodness sir, are you alright Oh my goodness sir, are you alright?! You’ve seemed to have bumped into this pillar!

Talk about getting emerged into your history! Just walk it off, walk it off...

Anyways, moving along... Now that you have seen aspects of the First Nations culture, please follow me as we look at some present day issues in Aboriginal Societies...

Here, we have images that represent First Nations….cause and effect..

The picture to your left represents the Natives living on reserves. These reserves are sections of land that are separated from the rest of the world. On their reserves, they receive tax breaks, or no tax at all as well as other benefits but the living conditions are often some of the worst in Canada.

The picture represents the goal and legacy of residential schools. A Residential school is basically a school system with a purpose of destroying Aboriginal identity, so basically to strip the Aboriginals of their culture (assimilation). Although the last Residential school was closed in 1996, the traumatizing truth of it all still affects people in Aboriginal communities today. Before After

The picture to the right represents a significant legacy of European contact and a present problem on many reserves. On Aboriginal reserves, the risk of becoming involved in substance abuse is extremely high. Some studies have shown that the youth of First Nations are one of the highest abusers of criminal drugs in all of Canada! Causes include poverty, unemployment, family breakdown, and social and economic structures’ failures.

Thank you all for joining me as we travelled through the intriguing land of the Natives. You will find the exit to your right. I hope that you enjoyed this tour and that you learned a few things along the way. It was my pleasure to be your guide today and I hope to see you all again soon. Good-bye 