Canada: A People's History

The two segments that I watched of Canada: A People’s History were that of The Price of Friendship and A Continent of Nations. The Price of Friendship was about the alliance between the Algonquins and the Montagnais with the French, and their combined opposition to the Iroquois. A Continent of Nations was about Canada before European explorers came-how it was a continent of nations, as the title suggests. It was made up of many different native groups. I felt that the segments both play up Canada-giving it a more positive light than negative. In the Price of Friendship segment, Champlain, the French explorer, is described forging an alliance with native tribes that control the north of Lake Champlain (which straddles the U.S. and Canadian border) against the Iroquois tribe south of the lake. Put simply, it was North American tribes against one coming from the south. A Continent of Nations describes Canada before as peaceful and natural before it was sullied by explorers. The native North Americans were content with remaining on their land, but others were not. The Europeans ventured out in search of a new way to maintain profitable trade with Asia. The Europeans first heard of land to the west from the Vikings-who killed tribes they came across. In this segment, the innocence of the native Canadians is highlighted. I think this is done to sort of ignite feelings of nostalgia and pride in Canadians. Canada in its original natural state is focused on to reinforce a sense of purity, which can further relate to the stereotype of Canadians as nice and polite. Essentially, they are stories about Canadian history. As discussed in class, stories are not just for entertainment, they have power. They have the power to shape identity and influence the way we view the world (or country) in which we live. These segments work to create a collective memory of Canadian history so that Canadians can share a sense kinship with each other.