Taylor Chadwick Noakes, Duquesne University
PROPOSAL TYPE
Traditional Panel
Seeking
- Seeking Additional Presenters
- Seeking Specific Expertise
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
RELATED TOPICS
- Memory
- Contested commemoration
- Public engagement
ABSTRACT
Moving a commemorative stone on the McGill University campus was done in the spirit of reconciliation and meant to make Indigenous history more visible. But what if doing so actually reinforced colonial-settler narratives of history without reflecting new scholarship on Indigenous history, and in turn further occluded historical reality rather than shine a new light on it?
I propose a discussion/presentations concerning Indigenous and colonial (pre-Confederation) representation in Canadian monuments, and exploring the social and political forces at play in Canada’s instances of contested commemoration.
DESCRIPTION
I have a very specific example that I’d like to discuss concerning the Hochelaga commemorative stone (and the broader implications of its relocation), but it would be useful to hear about similar cases of contested monuments, particularly those where the history represented is inaccurate or was intended to reinforce specific colonial-settler narratives.
It would be great to get some Indigenous voices to comment here, especially given how Indigenous people are portrayed in some of Montreal’s older public monuments.
It would also be useful to get some experts in commemoration in Canada more broadly, as well as people who have been keeping a close eye on the myriad cases of contested commemoration that have developed in the past few years (John A. Macdonald commemoration, as an example). Monuments to Nazi collaborators and the publicly-funded ‘anti-Communism’ memorial (as well as the manufactured outrage concerning statues of Norman Bethune) could add some useful comparisons of how Canada is addressing its past in the public realm, and the contemporary debates on the subject.
Looking for panelists, feedback, subject matter experts on commemoration in Canada, also open to broadening horizons if there are similar pertinent examples from the United States or Europe.
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly: Taylor Chadwick Noakes, Duquesne University, [email protected]
ALL FEEDBACK AND OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 1, 2021. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
Could we (the public) have more details? What was the original form/intended message of the stone? When was it installed and by whom? Tell us more, as well, as the move for reconciliation.
Hi Michelle –
Thanks for your note, and apologies ofr the lateness of my reply.
The original form and the plaque are the same today as when it was unveiled, which I believe occurred in 1925. The location has changed. It is now farther away from the location where artifacts were discovered in 1860. It was though at the time that this was the strongest evidence of Hochelaga, though more recent scholarship by Bruce Trigger cast doubt what was found was Hochelaga. Trigger suggested it might be a satellite village of Hochelaga, or possibly a smaller village either older or more recent. The carbon dating of the items was +/- 150 years fropm 1535 if I recall correctly.
I believe this was the first commemorative stone commissioned by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board, during a period in which there was a strong public demand for public monuments. In Montreal, French and English community historical organizations and civic groups had been pushing for commemoration. This stone was controversial because there are competing claims as to Hochelaga’s location, including on the opposite side of Mount Royal.
The final location may have been chosen more out of deference to McGill’s status as an institution than historical accuracy. Then university chancellor Stephen Leacock knew the site where artifacts were found was under the University Club, about two city blocks away, which is why the plaque says ‘near this location’. Leacock also thought the people of Hochelaga lived in log cabins. At the time of its unveiling, the stone was situated roughly between McGill’s Roddick Gates and the first location of the McCord Museum, facing Sherbrooke Street, at the edge of McGill’s ‘front yard’.
In 2016 university administrators decided to move the stone to a more prominent location on the McGill driveway, as the original location was difficult to access and obscured by a fence. This was part of the university’s reconciliation effort, to make sure that Indigenous history is more visible. The new location is opposite the statue of James McGill, which I suppose was intended to provide a sense of historical equilibrium between founder and First Nations, though McGill enslaved Indigenous and Black people in his lifetime (and also trafficked in slavery as well), so I’m not sure how well thought through that decision was. The monument’s plaque wasn’t updated to reflect recent scholarship, and the monument is now farther away from the archeological site. The most important issue is that this connection between McGill and Hochelaga, which was tenuous at best in the first place, remains. The location of Hochelaga is still a mystery, but the relocation and rededication of the monument seems to reinforce old historical interpretations.
I suggest connecting with Ryan Shackleton [email protected] and his colleagues at Know History with suggestions of other presenters and/or case studies.
Thanks Morgen – I will, best!
Taylor, Donald Maxwell has a similar proposal to discuss monuments outside the US. Perhaps the two of you could link up for a panel (though there is certainly so much to discuss for multiple panels on these topics!).
Hi Elyssa – thanks for your comment. I have reached out to Don and will be sure to follow up.
Best,
TCJN
Hi, Taylor- I’ve been trying to contact you via email. I fear that my messages may have ended up in your junk mail folder. Please try to contact me again at my Indiana State University address. Don