How many places in Canada are named Fort Something?
I'm guessing there are sixty-three places named Fort Something. (I have done zero research, so if I'm right, you'll have to just believe me.)
And just for fun, where have you lived in Canada with Fort in the name?
I've lived just outside of Fort Qu'Appelle since 2003.
that's an interesting question. Places called Fort-something were built on treaty lands... Forts that were built to protect settlers from treaty partners...
ReplyDeleteForts play a big role in our Treaty history, for better or worse. Do you think the fort metaphor is with us today?
ReplyDeleteALL cities and towns named Fort something or other should change their name immediately. This is nothing less than a provocation against the Aboriginal Peoples. We have to settle accounts once and for all with the Canadian state's history of genocide and betrayal against the First Nations.
ReplyDeleteI believe this sort of reconciliation will need to take place one Fort-town at a time, based on the relationships between town administrations/peoples and local Indigenous governments/peoples. On the other hand, people could choose to keep names as a testament to colonial history, unpacking the story behind the name and its impact on people. For starters, in my own town of Fort Qu'Appelle, I am interested in helping us understand the significance of our very own "Fort Pedagogy". Check out Dr. Dwayne McDonald's piece, "Forts, Curriculum, and Indigenous Métissage:
DeleteImagining Decolonization of Aboriginal-Canadian Relations
in Educational Contexts" at http://www.mfnerc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/004_Donald.pdf
Don’t forget the First Nations murdering other First Nations committing genocide when it come down to it we are all savages
DeleteForts were also used to house missionaries who in turn tamed peoples for the government. There are lots of forts that served the same purpose throughout the world.
ReplyDelete