The Jump

It was on this date in 2013 that Ottawa Daily Photo had its first post, and aside from a brief break during the early days of Covid, I've been able to keep up with it on a daily basis. 

Picking up where I left off yesterday, this model is of a buffalo jump. The site Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is in Alberta, and today a World Heritage Site. An indigenous elder explains in the video display above how things went. Tribes would corral a herd of bison into a stampede, and to a spot of their choosing- a cliff where they would fall. The model is vivid.

Nothing was wasted when these were done.

Life on the East Coast was heavily tied to the sea and to fishing. 

Tools of that way of life are seen here.

First Nations fishermen felt a connection to animals like killer whales and sharks, which were both competition and potential threat to them.

Timeless

 The Canadian History Hall is divided up into three galleries. The first goes from time immemorial to the end of the French and Indian War. It begins with the Anishinaabe creation story, told audibly in that language with English and French subtitles on the bottom of the screen.

What we know of the ancient past in Canada comes from indigenous oral tales and archaeological work.

Spear points and tools are signs of early human presence in the Americas.

There remains debate as to how long we've been here, or the routes we took.

In what became known as the Great Plains, the bison was everything to First Nations peoples.

This bison skull is displayed with spear points.

Canada

 Continuing where I left off yesterday, here we see the Caribou Monument in Bowring Park, memorializing the war dead of Newfoundland and Labrador.

This is the Ukrainian Labour Temple in Manitoba.

The British Columbia provincial Parliament Buildings are found in Victoria, B.C. 

This is the Old Arts Building in New Brunswick.

Grain elevators are a common sight in Saskatchewan.

Pier 21 is home to the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Nova Scotia- one of two national museums outside the national capital area.

This is the CCGS Amundsen, a Coast Guard icebreaker.

Dawson City is found in the Yukon Territory.

This scene is Pangnirtung in Nunavut.

And this is Point Prim Lighthouse on Prince Edward Island.

Inside the main hub of the Canadian History Hall is a viewscreen of various moments in our history. William Lyon Mackenzie King can be seen at top right, for instance, while at lower left is the dark chapter of the October Crisis.

The view screen changes, and so at lower left is a picture of Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Nelson Mandela, who was made an honorary citizen of the country right here at the museum.

Scenes

 More looks today at Morning Star.

Looking back down at the staircase where I was at gives us a view outside.

Inscribed on a column nearby in three languages are the words of William Commanda, a highly respected chief, which are wisely said.

A look down from here really brings home the size of the Grand Hall.

The path to the Canadian History Hall is lined with images of places and activities across Canada. These are done with reflective glass with a light overlay. We start with Inuit drum dancers.

The Calgary Stampede in Alberta is a big part of that province's culture.

This is Our Lady of Victory Church in the Northwest Territories.

Maple syrup tapping is a long tradition in eastern Canada.

This is the First World War Memorial in Saskatchewan.

The Stratford Festival Theatre can be found in the town of Stratford in southern Ontario, where each summer a festival of plays by Shakespeare and others is put on, a long standing tradition.

The Star

 More looks to start things off today of The Spirit Of Haida Gwaii.

A short way beyond, and a look up. Morning Star is a huge mural by the Dene artist Alex Janvier, who died recently. The artist painted this on a dome high overhead in 1993, in his abstract style heavily influenced by his indigenous roots. It is bold, colourful, dynamic, and my favourite work of art in the national capital area; despite my general disregard for the abstract movement, Janvier is the exception. I love his work.

One can even use the escalators and staircases to frame the painting in a different way.

At the top level, up close and personal with the painting.