This lesson looks at the history of the Beothuk tribe in St. John’s, Newfoundland, which was originally thought to be wiped out by the Europeans. However, recent evidence has revealed that these people assimilated and integrated into the greater European population. Art Featured: A miniature portrait titled “A female Red Indian of Newfoundland” which some…
This lesson explores the Chilcotin War, where 5 chiefs were hanged after murdering 22 innocent men doing roadwork. Politicians have been pandering and apologizing ever since these people were murdered, implying the Indigenous Chiefs had every right to kill people. Art Featured: Martyrdom of the Chilcotin Chiefs by Shawn Swanky. About Jim McMurtry, PhD
This lesson explores the trading ship, The Boston, in Nootka Sound and how Chief Maquinna murdered the whole crew except for John Thompson and John Levitt. Maquinna is honoured in Canadian history, while our founding father, Sir John A MacDonald, is cancelled. How is this right when Sir John A MacDonald did so much for…
Indigenous writing is cultural appropriation! Explore how Reverend Evans created symbols, made books to record the Cree language, and taught the Indigenous how to read and write. Art Featured: Rev. James Evans Teaching His System of Cree Syllabic Writing by C. W. Jefferys About Jim McMurtry, PhD
Using an etching of Sitting Bull kicking out Uncle Sam, Jim explores what it means to be Indigenous. He questions why those “first” nations, such as the Sioux who came as late as 1876, have full Indigenous status when Europeans were in Canada long before that. Art Featured: UNCLE SAM FORGIVES SITTING BULL FOR CUSTER…
In the painting today, it looks like white European traders are exchanging goods with First Nations, something that obviously was a mutual benefit to both sides. The indigenous people are happy to get metal products, blankets, and beads, and all sorts of things that you probably already know about. And the Europeans were particularly focused…
A lot of people think Canadian history isn’t very interesting. The painting in today’s lesson was painted by an eye-witness, so we can consider it fairly accurate. When we examine the artwork carefully, we see how different the culture and life was for people back in time, which makes it exotic and exquisite and interesting…
As part of the fur trade, there was always the danger of having fractious relations with the people that you’re trading with. So both sides tried to do things to cement the relationship and make the trading successful. Intermarriage brought people together. The trapper was looking for someone to look after domestic affairs such as making…
Four murals which represent courage, enterprise, labour, and justice, painted by George Southwell in 1932, were commissioned and hung in the rotunda of the beautiful B.C. legislature in Victoria, B.C. They depict native men and women, bare-chested and watching or working as clothed colonial men sign documents or supervise. First Nations complained that the murals…
The painting titled “Pocahontas” was commissioned in 1870. How can we think critically about this painting to determine if is an accurate depiction or another example of a false narrator? Mr. McMurtry looks at the history that is known about the time of the story portrayed in the painting, and clues to discover more about…
Join our newsletter to be the first to get new updates, freebies, and our PDF catalogue to browse.
