Assignment_Colonialism and Place Names
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University of British Columbia *
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FNIS100
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History
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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Uploaded by evaye2008
Impacts of Colonization: The Power of Names
The naming of places is a cultural phenomenon dating back to the earliest of human history. Assigning names to places is
a practice that serves many purposes. Today, the place names that we recognize in our local communities are deeply connected to Canada's history of colonization
.
Activity 1: Indigenous Loanwords
Look at the Indigenous words in the image below. Scan the list of words and the language origin.
Highlight the words that you knew had Indigenous origin. Since the time of colonization, settlers have appropriated words from Indigenous languages, and incorporated them into
their own figures of speech and language. For exampl
e, the name "Canada" comes from "kanata,"
the Iroquois-Huron word for "village" or "settlement." The colonizers that arrived got confused, and assumed that was the place name for the used the village of Stadacona, present-day Quebec City. The name stuck though, and here we are today.
Did you know that the name of our country was connected to an Indigenous word/name? Where did you learn this?
Learning Goals of this Assignment:
Investigate the history of “naming practices” and how it is tied to the processes of colonialism
Examine how the impacts of colonialism continue to be felt in the present day
Activity 2: Reading - Names in the Americas: How Colonialism Left its Mark
Highlight key sections and new information using the ‘digital highlighter tool’
Waves of European explorers and settlers followed the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. When their 'new' place names were decided, it was because these colonists assumed that either no previous name existed, or that the Indigenous place names were 'inappropriate' or unimportant. They followed the '
Doctrine of Discovery,'
which was used to legitimize the colonization of Indigenous peoples and was used to dehumanize, exploit and subjugate Indigenous peoples and dispossess them of their most basic rights. This meant "
if the lands were not occupied by Christians they could be considered officially ‘empty’
" and explorers could claim "sovereignty, dominion, title and jurisdiction" over them. As a result, explorers believed they were given the right to claim any "vacant/empty land
" (
terra nullius)
in the name of their King or Queen. Kent Monkman (Cree), Birth of Nation, 2012
Colonial Place Names
Many of the place names we see on maps in B.C. and Canada were determined by European mapmakers, explorers, and government officials in the 1700s and 1800s. As Europeans settled the land, they in turn gave their own names reflecting their own culture and history. More often than not, places/sites were named after the homeland or influential
people of a particular group of settlers. White settlers in North America named places after their monarchs or saints; they reused the last names of well-known families or the names of meaningful places back in Europe; or they used descriptive names to emphasize topographical features. Sometimes they even names places after their pets! While initial explorers that came from Europe tended to give locations place names from their homelands. Fur traders (especially French ones) and the explorers who travelled and stayed longer in North America, relied on Indigenous guides so were more inclined to use the Indigenous names for prominent natural features, although they did use European names for trading posts.
For example – Hudson’s Bay Company
With the arrival of more European settlers, most Indigenous place names were “Europeanized”. Settlers adapted the names they were hearing into the languages they knew, mainly English or French. Translated or shortened versions of Indigenous names were sometimes adopted, and Indigenous names were often modified to remove Indigenous language letters because of the difficulty in printing non-roman characters. Colonial names such as British Columbia or Victoria also reflect the power that European colonizers held - especially those connected to France and England. This is exemplified by the fact that despite the significant numbers of Asian immigrants arriving from China and India during this time period, there were little to no street names, place names, or monuments named in honour of them. Activity 3: 651 Street Names in Vancouver
– CBC Interactive
1.
Over HALF of the 651 street names are divided into 5 categories. Record the number beside each category a.
Men – b.
Trees – c.
Golf Courses – d.
War Battles – e.
Women – 2.
Scroll down to bottom of page – of the 79 streets named after Europeans, what number of these are from Britain? 3.
If names show “what we value” – what’s a conclusion you can draw from these statistics? 4.
Scroll down through article where it describes other categories and interesting street names. Record three interesting street names, and where the “story” behind it. STREET NAME DESCRIPTION/EXPLANATION – WHY IS IT INTERESTING?
5.
Play around with the interactive map a bit
– what patterns do you notice and observe?
Activity 4:
School Names in Greater Vancouver -
Scroll through the list of school names in greater Vancouver. Describe 3 patterns that you notice, or are explained to you.
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What are most school names in Burnaby named after?
Reconciliation: What Can We Do? The cultural appropriation and attempts to erase Indigenous languages was a devastating impact of colonization. Learning about the roots of place names and the importance of 'renaming' can help us better understand the importance of movements to 'reclaim' Indigenous languages and restore the Indigenous place names. Indigenous names of cities, towns, lakes, rivers, and mountains hold stories and histories of people, of journeys, of traditions, and protocol. Thus, the historical renaming of places by colonial settlers - and the attempts to erase these stories has had a profound impact on First Peoples and their cultures. The impact continues to be felt today. While this process was incredibly harmful, the reclaiming and renaming of these places is also a powerful force, and is having positive effects on First Peoples and the revitalization of their cultures. Activity 5: Canada's Original Place Names - Google Earth by Canadian Geographic
This is a Google Earth presentation called Canada's Original Place Names
- walk yourself through the 10 different examples of Indigenous place names in Canada. As you do so, read the descriptions, and record 3 interesting observations. OBSERVATIONS – OUR HISTORY OF PLACE NAMES: 1.
2.
3.
Activity 6: Indigenous Place Names: What Are the Stories?
In Canada close to 30,000 official place names are, or may be, of Indigenous origin. The place names are derived from, or connected to, over 70 different Indigenous languages, and reflect the diversity of Indigenous cultures and their naming practices. The names shown include populated places, geographical features such as rivers, lakes and mountains, and sites of cultural importance.
It’s not hard to spot the place names that have Indigenous roots. Squamish (sk xwu7mesh); Coquitlam (Kwikwetlem); Comox ( K'ómoks). Take a look around you in your local community, and see how many names there are that have Indigenous roots.
This is the linguistic map of Canada that we looked at in a previous section. Head back to this website and explore some of the Indigenous place names that are across Canada, and in your local community. Each little circle represents one of the 30, 000 place names. Take some time to investigate the interactive map of Canada
that shows some of the locations of these place names. Go through the different place names. Investigate at least three different Indigenous place names. Name
Nation
Meaning & History of Name
1.
2.
3.
Synthesis and Analysis: 1.
Explain the connection between Colonialism and Place Names after completing this activity. Describe two new things that you have learned through the activities, and explain their significance. 2.
How could ‘renaming of places’ be connected to processes of reconciliation?
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