Latest news with #IndigenousHistory
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Kahnawà:ke Fire Brigade gives out smoke detectors to educate community on fire prevention
The fire brigade in Kahnawà:ke is holding a campaign during National Indigenous History Month to raise awareness about fire safety. Indigenous people make up five per cent of the population in Canada, but 20 per cent of deaths related to residential fires, according to the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council.
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
War Memorial honours Aurukun veteran
Isabella Higgins: More than 80 years after he died, an Indigenous family have discovered the secret war history of one of their relatives. For decades, the story of service of Private Ngakyunkwokka was lost due to a spelling error. Now the Australian War Memorial is fixing that, as James Vyver reports. James Vyver: In Wik country on the western side of Queensland's Cape York, the old Aurukun Mission Cemetery is filled with white wooden crosses. Among them, a gleaming white headstone stands out, the war grave of an Aboriginal World War II soldier, whose service and story has only recently been discovered by his great-niece, Ariana Yunkaporta. Ariana Yunkaporta: We didn't know our great-great uncle was serving in the World War II. We were like, wow, we had an ancestors, you know, who served before and I was like really happy. I was like, wow, I don't know any white Australian served in the World War. James Vyver: The soldier, Private Ngakyunkwokka, died in 1945 while on active duty for the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion. Incorrect mission and army records dating back over the last century led to the veteran being buried with the wrong name, Private Ngarkwokka. That error, carved in gold lettering, is still on the headstone today. Ariana Yunkaporta: Seeing that grave for the first time, it was emotional and then I started like, had tears coming down. James Vyver: It meant Ariana Yunkaporta and her family had no idea their ancestor was with them in Aurukun. The mystery of how the headstone bears the wrong name has now been solved after 80 years, thanks to a fellow digger and some luck. Tim White: The last thing I expected to find in a cemetery in a remote Aboriginal community was a war grave. James Vyver: In 2022, Aurukun local and army veteran Dr Tim White recognised the significance of the headstone, but not the Ngarkwokka name. Tim White: My inquiry started that day. I've got to find out who this is and what the story is. If one of our Afghanistan or Vietnam veterans were buried under the wrong name, there'd be national outcry about it. James Vyver: The incorrect records had also led to the soldier being listed with the wrong name on the roll of honour at the Australian War Memorial, twice. Well, his name has been changed three times. Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson. Matt Anderson: We're determined now with the help of family, with the help of community that we've got it right. That's the right answer, to keep on striving for perfection. This is a roll of honour. This is the nation's debt recorded in bronze and if we can get it right, that's what we're determined to do and I'm just so pleased we've been able to do that. James Vyver: A supplementary bronze panel now correctly reads Ngakyunkwokka C.B. The previous two incorrect names remain on the roll of honour. Army Reservists themselves, Ariana Yunkaporta and her brother Irwin, travelled to Canberra last week for a last post ceremony at the War Memorial. A service dedicated to a fellow soldier and their new-found uncle, finally recognised with his true name. Ariana Yunkaporta: He's not just a role model for us, he's a role model to Aurukun as well, to the whole community. James Vyver: The headstone on Private Ngakyunkwokka's grave will be replaced in the coming months. Isabella Higgins: James Vyver reporting there.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Books to celebrate National Indigenous History Month
Ottawa Watch We kick of National Indigenous History Month with the Ottawa Public Library for their top pick this month.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Calgary archeology program sheds light on province's pre-contact history
With a history spanning well over 10,000 years, Alberta is a prime location for those looking to uncover ancient ways of living. A Calgary archeology program is shedding some more light on that history while giving aspiring archeologists hands-on experience in the field. Running from May 15 to June 4, the program is a partnership between the university and the City of Calgary. Last year's field school took place in Nose Hill Park, while this year brought students to Edworthy Park in southwest Calgary. It's a great opportunity to both train students and educate the public about the long-term history of Calgary and Alberta, said Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, assistant professor with the University of Calgary anthropology and archeology department. "This site actually has been known since the '70s. It's just never been excavated," she said of the Edworthy Park dig. "A big part of why we're doing it in park spaces is so we get the random dog walkers coming by, and we can talk to them about the history that's here," said Amundsen-Meyer. The findings have yet to be radiocarbon dated for a precise age, but according to Amundsen-Meyer, it's an Indigenous pre-contact site. "Right now we don't know how old this site is, but we do know that within the city of Calgary, there are sites that stretch back from the contact. Fort Calgary, all the way back eight, even nine thousand years … if we look at the province as a whole, we're talking 13,000 years or more." Many people going for walks in Edworthy Park might not realize the archeological significance of sites like this, or other sites across the province, which makes outreach a central part of the program. "That's older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids, right? So there is a time depth here that I think is really important to understand," said Amundsen-Meyer. Findings at the site include bifaces (used as knives), choppers (designed to disarticulate carcasses), scrapers (meant to remove meat from hides) and other stone tools. They're fascinating, but nothing out of the ordinary for a site like this, she said. "Most of what we're finding is what we call lithics. And lithics are basically both stone tools and the garbage from making stone tools," she said. By giving students hand-on experience, they're joining the work force with a significant head start. "There's actually a labour market shortage in archeology and cultural resource management right now," said Amundsen-Meyer. "So we're feeding a lot of students straight into industry and straight into jobs. If we can train them better here, they're better prepared." Working with Indigenous partners is a central aspect of the program, with every dig being preceded by a ceremony and guidance from elders representing multiple First Nations communities playing a key role in shaping participants' understanding of Indigenous culture. "All of those pieces are showing how those descendant communities still have connections to this land, to this place and to sites like this," said Amundsen-Meyer. "I've had elders tell me more than once: you have to have truth before reconciliation," she said. "Part of that is definitely about residential schools, but I think part of it is also about educating people about the long term history of this place." Joining the University of Calgary archeology students at the Edworthy Park site are three Indigenous youth hired to work alongside the team and train as archeologists. "In my opinion, we shouldn't be doing archeology without connecting to those descendant communities," said Amundsen-Meyer. One of those young archeologists, Taren Crowchief of the Siksika Nation, is now in his fourth year with the program. "It helped me see my history and the past, and just everything about Alberta a lot differently ever since I started doing this," he said. His work with the program has helped him look at his people and ancestors in a new light. "I'd always be going through fields back at home on the reserve, and I wouldn't really think much of it. But now when I do go through it, I can't help but just look at every little thing, every little detail," he said. "It's honestly so amazing just to see things so differently."
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Calgary archeology program sheds light on province's pre-contact history
With a history spanning well over 10,000 years, Alberta is a prime location for those looking to uncover ancient ways of living. A Calgary archeology program is shedding some more light on that history while giving aspiring archeologists hands-on experience in the field. Running from May 15 to June 4, the program is a partnership between the university and the City of Calgary. Last year's field school took place in Nose Hill Park, while this year brought students to Edworthy Park in southwest Calgary. It's a great opportunity to both train students and educate the public about the long-term history of Calgary and Alberta, said Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, assistant professor with the University of Calgary anthropology and archeology department. "This site actually has been known since the '70s. It's just never been excavated," she said of the Edworthy Park dig. "A big part of why we're doing it in park spaces is so we get the random dog walkers coming by, and we can talk to them about the history that's here," said Amundsen-Meyer. The findings have yet to be radiocarbon dated for a precise age, but according to Amundsen-Meyer, it's an Indigenous pre-contact site. "Right now we don't know how old this site is, but we do know that within the city of Calgary, there are sites that stretch back from the contact. Fort Calgary, all the way back eight, even nine thousand years … if we look at the province as a whole, we're talking 13,000 years or more." Many people going for walks in Edworthy Park might not realize the archeological significance of sites like this, or other sites across the province, which makes outreach a central part of the program. "That's older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids, right? So there is a time depth here that I think is really important to understand," said Amundsen-Meyer. Findings at the site include bifaces (used as knives), choppers (designed to disarticulate carcasses), scrapers (meant to remove meat from hides) and other stone tools. They're fascinating, but nothing out of the ordinary for a site like this, she said. "Most of what we're finding is what we call lithics. And lithics are basically both stone tools and the garbage from making stone tools," she said. By giving students hand-on experience, they're joining the work force with a significant head start. "There's actually a labour market shortage in archeology and cultural resource management right now," said Amundsen-Meyer. "So we're feeding a lot of students straight into industry and straight into jobs. If we can train them better here, they're better prepared." Indigenous engagement is key focus Working with Indigenous partners is a central aspect of the program, with every dig being preceded by a ceremony and guidance from elders representing multiple First Nations communities playing a key role in shaping participants' understanding of Indigenous culture. "All of those pieces are showing how those descendant communities still have connections to this land, to this place and to sites like this," said Amundsen-Meyer. "I've had elders tell me more than once: you have to have truth before reconciliation," she said. "Part of that is definitely about residential schools, but I think part of it is also about educating people about the long term history of this place." Joining the University of Calgary archeology students at the Edworthy Park site are three Indigenous youth hired to work alongside the team and train as archeologists. "In my opinion, we shouldn't be doing archeology without connecting to those descendant communities," said Amundsen-Meyer. One of those young archeologists, Taren Crowchief of the Siksika Nation, is now in his fourth year with the program. "It helped me see my history and the past, and just everything about Alberta a lot differently ever since I started doing this," he said. His work with the program has helped him look at his people and ancestors in a new light. "I'd always be going through fields back at home on the reserve, and I wouldn't really think much of it. But now when I do go through it, I can't help but just look at every little thing, every little detail," he said. "It's honestly so amazing just to see things so differently."
