Saturday, November 28, 2020

Warfare From Time Immemorial

During my visit to the War Museum, the temporary exhibits gallery wasn't open, but an exhibit on life in the Second World War was being set up at the time. Moving beyond, on the way to the permanent galleries area of the Museum, there are a series of photographs rendered in large scale along the path.


The one seen on the left here dates to 1940, a photograph titled Wait For Me, Daddy, and was reproduced on a special Canadian 2014 two dollar coin. My Canadian readers might have one. At right are soldiers of the First World War.


The collection is organized into five areas, from time immemorial to the present day. The first section concentrates on early wars, and starts with the First Nations, Panels, artifacts, and reproductions examine tribal conflict thousands of years before Europeans came into the New World.


Eventually, European contact would change everything, including how First Nations people conducted war. The so called Post-Contact Wars would bring the French into conflict, siding with one peoples against another.


A display case includes a tomahawk and alliance medal. The description below notes that French metalwork made a deadly weapon like the tomahawk even deadlier.


In time, the French and Indian War would rise up in North America between France and Britain, with First Nations tribes jockeying for position. It was known elsewhere as the Seven Years War, raging across the globe. Churchill called it the first truly global war.

25 comments:

  1. Quite hard, "Wait For Me, Daddy"... so sad... so strong.

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  2. I pray for a world without war one distant day.

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  3. alright when with Canada get some snow? hope soon? i am dying (being dramatic there, kidding) to see some please. have a great week, weekend. thanks for the commenting. falling behind on return the kindness. hope all is well ... Christmas lights to be hung ... so busy ... wonder why life is like that sometimes ... take care. ( ;

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  4. The second photo of that kid reaching out to his father is fabulous.

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  5. War never stops.
    I never saw any of those $2 coins.

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  6. That's a long time to be at war William, war in some form of another is neverending!

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  7. It's sad that war is always with us. We just keep making better and more deadly weapons.

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  8. I often think being a curator would be a fine calling.

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  9. Ipeople always want something more, no matter who already owns it.

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  10. Awesome display and great photos ^_^

    Live each moment with love,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  11. The "Wait for Me, Daddy" photo is a strong and emotional photo.

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  12. It's OK to look at war in a museum, but I hope and pray that I never see the real ting.

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  13. A great post. Wonderful weapon displays, and the bit of recorded history of tribes needing to declare war over boundaries.

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  14. 'Wait For Me, Daddy' is a very good photograph, but quite emotional.

    All the best Jan

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  15. @Agnieszka: thank you!

    @Anvilcloud: they're big banners.

    @Iris: that is very much the case.

    @Tom: it doesn't.

    @DJan: we'll see.

    @Beth: we actually have snow on the ground.

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  16. @Jan: it really is.

    @RedPat: I have some in my possession.

    @Grace: that is quite true.

    @Jo: very much so.

    @Red: that's true.

    @Sharon: there is.

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  17. @Jennifer: I'd like doing it.

    @Marie: that's true.

    @Carol: thank you!

    @Bill: very much so.

    @Shammickite: me too.

    @Joanne: definitely.

    @Jan: that it is.

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  18. A world without war, is it possible?

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  19. "Wait for me Daddy" -- so poignant.

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