Place names carry with them a sense of place or belonging, and a long standing relationship between people and the natural world that surrounds them. As Indigenous societies were traditionally oral societies, the names chosen for geographical sites throughout what is now known as Canada, carry significant amounts of history, traditional environmental/ecological knowledge, navigational information and teachings – by using Indigenous place names we can keep that information alive. 

However, over the past few centuries, Indigenous lands were remapped and renamed by colonial powers. More often than not, these places were named by explorers, surveyors, cartographers, and politicians of the time. Their naming process is in stark contrast to the deeply meaningful, personal, and often spiritual naming practices of Indigenous peoples.

The colonial practice of using European place names rather than the local Indigenous names speaks to the view of “terra nullius” or empty land when waves of European explorers reached North America. Explorers tended to use names from their homeland. While Fur Traders relied on Indigenous guides to navigate the region and were therefore more inclined to use “Europeanized” Indigenous names for natural features.

The process of renaming reflected a range of meanings for settlers. Names were sometimes taken directly from Europe, such as the Thames River, which runs through London, Ontario; other places were named after individuals, and sometimes after Christian saints. In other cases, Indigenous names continue in some form, though often corrupted. There are also places that were given an English or French name translated from an Indigenous language. These place names continue to define much of the Canadian landscape.

The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada states that place names research that culminates in Indigenous place names being made official is essential to preserving this tangible source of traditional knowledge for tomorrow’s generations. Thus, reverting to Indigenous place names in relation to oral histories, Indigenous laws, and languages is part of the process of reclaiming Indigenous knowledge and territories. 

In many modern treaties (the agreements that precede most self-government agreements), First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples have bargained for the legal powers to re-establish place names in their “settlement” areas. Under these agreements, they can have their toponyms recognized by provinces or territories, and maps of the areas changed. With the passage of time, there are fewer Elders who grew up and travelled on the land with their families who can still pass down expert knowledge, creating a time limit for this process. 

Through the process of colonization, a lot of traditional knowledge was lost, and with it a lot of the sense of belonging Indigenous cultures had with the land. An example of this being the information I carried by traditional place names. By exploring this topic, students gain an understanding of how Canada’s colonial-settler history blends with Indigenous histories – but also that Indigenous histories go beyond that and into time immemorial. This is a large and complex concept for students to grasp, and can be continued over the span of grades. Due to the complexity and various aspects of learning about Canada’s Indigenous peoples’ and their history, it can be found in BC’s social studies curriculum’s big ideas for grades one to five. 

As reconciliation is something that is being strived for more and more throughout Canada, and as more history is being brought to light, it is becoming more and more vital that children have the background knowledge they need in order to deal with these and related social issues later in life. In exploring this topic, students are able to view Canadian history from multiple perspectives. This practice provides the lesson that there is always more than one side to any and every story and by showing children real world examples, that lesson goes beyond the cliche. 

It is important to teach children the skills needed to make educated decisions, one of these skills includes learning that there are often more than one side to a story. In the day and age of mass media, having this skill in their tool belt is crucial to navigating the world as responsible adults.

Resources:

  • https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2019/10/08/reclaiming-indigenous-place-names/
  • https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/article/place-names/
  • https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/the-relationship-between-indigenous-peoples-and-place-names