I was out driving recently, meandering through southern Ontario a little to the north of Toronto. I was about a kilometer from Highway 400 when I passed a sign that proclaimed, "Laskay: Settled 1832". That sign was like the proverbial straw loaded on the poor ruminant quadruped's back. I snapped when I saw it.
I am so sick of the ongoing, systemic euro-centrism of Ontario; hell, of all Canada, for that matter. The sign is all wrong. It should be immediately removed and the sign post left unused until a new sign that is accurate can be put up there. The area was not "settled" in 1832. It may have been moved into at that time by whites of European origin and/or descent, but they did not settle it. It was well and truly settled thousands of years before Joseph Baldwin and David Reesor arrived in the area and began constructing a dam, a sawmill, a grist mill - in fact, all the trappings of the arrogant whites who felt themselves to be the only people of any worth in the area.
In order to reflect the reality of this particular area, the sign needs to be much larger than the current falsehood-bearing plaque. It needs to be written in at least two languages - that of the area's indigenous people first, and then the English of the squatters who moved in on them, displacing them with little to no thought of their well-being; little to no acknowledgment of the fact that they were building on stolen property.
Prattle to me not of any land treaties that may have been signed. Half the time, they were nothing more than empty pretenses, if they were even signed at all. The date on the sign needs to be changed too. The first date listed would need to be phrased with the native equivalent of the word "circa" and the number following would have to be in the thousands B.C.E. The second date could be the 1832 that is currently the only one displayed. This is the case with every signpost anywhere in Canada that makes such announcements as though there were no people here until white people arrived.
When is Canada ever going to truly acknowledge the fact that her history began many long lifetimes before the first white foot ever trod her soil?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Totally Pissed Off!
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1 comments:
I wonder who the original settlers were that the "original" settlers before the ones that you spoke of were given any treaty signing or goods exchanged for their property that was robbed from them. A stronger, more intelligent society has always done the exact same thing wether it be an indigenous society, african society, anglo society....I seriously doubt that the bodies were burried after the battle for control was over. When you speculate and make judgements on civilizations or nationalities you must remember that the more powerful society that decides it is time to take over a certain area and then does so is only held accountable to their standards of what needs to be done to pay homage to the previous civilization that was there before. Indians, or the indigenous people that lived there before the Frickin Canadians most likely scalped their foes after defeating them or maybe ate them or who knows what. That to me is offensive and there is nothing that I can really do about it. I understand what you are saying but to actually find out how many civilizations have brutally taken over or have been taken over in that particular territory would be very difficult at best. The world we live in is not always fair or right in everyones eyes. I really don't care for Canadians anyway, but blaming them or the Americans for doing what they did to the Indians of North America shouldn't start there. Find out how those same indians took over and controld their territories and you will see similar dealings with their fellowmen. I just think that we should be careful to criticize our own people especially when they are only doing what comes natural with power and the natural man.
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