Re-evaluating the history makers
The study of history is not static; it forever changes, as historians discover new information and re-examine past events. Lives of the people who have helped shape our history are also re-evaluated with the passage of time.
In school, one of the dates which we memorized was “1492,” when Christopher Columbus “discovered” America.
On Oct. 12, 1492, Columbus and his ships landed on the island of San Salvador, in what they called “the New World.”
That date forever changed the lives of the Indigenous people who called the Americas home for tens of thousands of years. Their lives and cultures came under attack, as Columbus and other colonizers – from Spain, Portugal, England, France, Holland and other nations – saw the “New World” as a source of plunder and wealth.
This was repeated in other parts of the world: Africa, Eastern Asia and the southern Pacific.
For centuries, the exploits of Columbus and other colonizers were celebrated, from a European perspective. Colonies brought wealth and power to European countries, enriching those nations at the expense of Indigenous people and their cultures.
In his 1880s book “Columbus – or the Discovery of America”, George Cubitt confidently asserted that “Christopher Columbus [was] one of the most celebrated names in the history of mankind …”
The United States celebrates Columbus Day as a national holiday, ignoring the destructive roles that Columbus and other colonizers played these past centuries.
In 1892 – 93, the U.S. hosted the World Columbian Exposition, at Chicago and minted commemorative fifty-cent coins, bearing the Christopher Columbus’ likeness.
Is it time for our American neighbours to scrap “Columbus Day,” acknowledging the horrible consequences of Columbus’ 1492 expedition?
The historical role assigned to Louis Riel, too, has changed. For generations, Riel was deemed a traitor, the murderer of Ontarioborn Thomas Scott and the instigator of two rebellions: 1870 and 85.
Louis David Riel was born in 1844 at St. Boniface, Red River Colony. In 1868, the Canadian government of John A. MacDonald completed negotiations with the Hudson’s Bay Company, transferring much of that company’s land to the Canadian government.
Local Indigenous and Métis people were not included in the negotiations.
In 1869, Ontario-based surveyors arrived in the Red River Colony, to survey the fertile lands on which the Indigenous and Métis were living.
This survey’s purpose was clear: to make that land ready for settlers from Ontario, intent on colonizing their province.
Riel intervened. He chased off the surveyors, established an 1869 – 70 provisional government and informed Canada that the
Indigenous and Métis people must not be ignored. A “Rebellion” ensued, resulting in the creation of Manitoba – Canada’s fifth province – in 1870.
Riel was subsequently convicted of high treason and was executed at Regina on Nov. 16, 1886. The trial jury consisted of six English-speaking white men. Analysis shows that Riel was not a traitor; he was a champion of the Métis people.
In February 2024, Manitoba premier Wab Kinew declared Louis Riel to be Manitoba’s founder and first premier … a far cry from earlier assessments of him.
It is time to have a closer look at the Indigenous people and immigrant settlers who shaped our Okanagan history – particularly concerning relationships between these people – assessing their roles in a broader and more inclusive light. It is long overdue.
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This article is part of a series, submitted by the Kelowna branch, Okanagan Historical Society. Additional information is always welcome at P.O Box 22105 Capri P.O., Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 9N9