A symbolic divide in our nation
SECORD TO SPORTS
Thousands of academics are gathering in Regina for the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. They will present papers on everything from the new cultural dynamic of apologism to why Jezebel in the Hebrew Bible talks like a man. In its Oh, The Humanities! series, the National Post showcases some of the most interesting research. Today, Sierra Bein on how our national symbols divide us.
Laura Secord, the chocolate lady, was part of my upbringing in Canada. I mainly mean the chocolate, but in school we also learned the story of our Canadian heroine and what she represented: courage, loyalty and nationalism.
But like most Canadian symbols, Laura Secord can be both a unifying and dividing force because of what’s written into history between the English, French and Indigenous people in Canada.
Born in the United States, Secord made her way into our history textbooks mainly because of how the British in Upper Canada were able to politicize her. “White women, women who could be seen as supporting the tide of Britain,” were important to English Canada, said historian Cecilia Morgan, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).
Secord was housing American soldiers one night, when she overheard them speaking of a surprise attack on British colonies in an attempt to overtake the Niagara Peninsula. She walked more than 30 kilometres to warn the British garrison that the Americans were coming. The British, as a result, fought alongside Indigenous peoples to intercept the Americans.
The Laura Secord story often doesn’t include the role of the Indigenous people, although it initially spoke about her “fear” and “suspicion” of the Indigenous people she encountered along her journey. She asked them to help take her to the British, a part often left out of the English narrative. Later versions of the story describe an amicable encounter rather than a tense one.
“Laura Secord is hardly this great national unifying figure,” said Donald Wright, one of the authors of an upcoming book about the way that symbols live in Canada. He will also be speaking at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2018 about Canadian symbols and multiculturalism. “Her contributions to the war were as small as small can be.
“Her motivations were never really clear, but shortly after 1812, it could be that she just didn’t want to live through another war. She asked for a military pension in return for her service but they never gave it to her, and instead she was made into a Canadian heroine by title — and shaped her actions into (obviously) a support of the British. Secord was likely preserved as an icon because of the chocolate company.
“When you start unpacking them (symbols) and thinking about them historically, yes on one level they unite Canadians but occasionally they also divide us,” said Wright.
Here are a couple other examples of symbols and the way they cause a stir.
FLAGS AND NATIONAL ANTHEM
“I can’t think of another country that has two national flags. I can’t think of another country that has two national anthems,” said Wright. “Think about O Canada: the English version is not the French version, it’s not a translation. It’s completely different.”
On top of that, the song Gens du Pays has been unofficially recognized by some as Quebec’s national anthem. The famous line is “People of my country it is your turn to let yourself speak of love.”
In Canada, we officially have one flag, but two are recognized as national flags: the Maple Leaf and the Fleur-delis, which was adopted in Quebec in 1948 (which is pretty reasonable considering the Union Jack was on the Canadian flag until 1965). Even different First Nations have their own flags, often left out of the equation.
THE CANOE
You aren’t Canadian unless you can make love in it: that’s how ingrained it is in Canadian culture. This is the tool that helped settlers survive on the land and is ultimately the tool that caused Indigenous people to lose control of it.
The canoe was critical to life in our country, bulky European boats couldn’t manoeuvre the lakes and rivers in Canada. This appropriated technology is both a marker of perseverance and in some cases, pain — but it is important to recognize each different meaning.
“Messiness is good, complexity is good because the second we say something means only one thing, well then it won’t resonate with people, people won’t be able to attach their own meanings to it,” said Wright. “Our symbols can’t evolve without acknowledging their problems.”
THE BEAVER
No, the seemingly innocent beaver is not left out. The beaver became a Canadian icon because of the fur trade, the enterprise that pushed forward the expansion of Canada. But again, over centuries of the trade and the growth of European settlement, the beaver also came to represent the marginalization and oppression of Indigenous peoples. The beaver is another “messy” symbol and another way that the Indigenous presence in Canada was overlooked in the creation of the symbols.
SPORTS
“We sometimes think of hockey as the great unifying symbol and it’s true, it can be, but Quebec also sees it as its national sport and not as necessarily the Canadian national sport,” said Wright. During the Olympics, Canada is always branded as the home of hockey, but it’s often forgotten that there remains tension within.
Some say that the Quiet Revolution was sparked when Maurice Richard was suspended during a game in 1955. Richard represented yet another Quebecer living under the influence of English Canada, and Francophones felt that he was targeted because of this French identity.
To make our sporting situation more complicated, lacrosse is Canada’s official summer sport, a game appropriated from Indigenous peoples. The game was said to be a gift from The Creator as a way to heal, but also for entertainment. It originally went by the name baggataway and kept young men fit for hunting and fighting. It wasn’t until the 19th century that Europeans adopted the game, eventually leading to what we know as modern day lacrosse, a much less spiritual version of the game.
VICTORIA DAY
The May two-four weekend is one of the first excuses to throw a party as the weather (hopefully) improves. For many, it’s the first time to bring out the barbecue and spend time outside watching fireworks.
But what is a mainstream holiday honouring Queen Victoria for some Canadians is a pretty insulting occasion for others. Even though Victoria Day is a statutory holiday in Quebec, it goes by the name fête nationale des patriotes, a symbol of resistance to imperial rule and nationalism.