LET'S ERASE HISTORY: THE PRIVILEGE OF SAVING AND FORGETTING

Collections Corner | Jaime Meier 

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It is a safe assumption that a majority of us have heard the classic quote attributed to Winston Churchill, "History is written by victors." While the ideas revolving around objectivity and the reinforcement of single narrative histories have rightfully come under fire, who and where can we learn about history? One of my amazing Art History professors, Felicia Gay, once told our class in relation with working with Indigenous peoples that we must "Speak with the community instead of for the community." This allows for a historical record to emerge that has been repressed by the colonization politics of Canada, a repression that Library and Archives Canada (LAC) continue to implement to this day.

LAC has been involved in several digitization projects with Nunavummiut (the peoples residing in Nunavut), including "Project Naming" and "Listen, Hear Our Voices." "Project Naming" was created by Nunavut Sivuniksavut with the eventual formation of a partnership between the Government of Nunavut and LAC. Since its inception in 2002, over 10,000 images have been digitized and thousands of Indigenous peoples, activities, and places have been identified by numerous generations. LAC acknowledges that this improves not only their own records but also "helps members of communities connect with their past and create inter-generational bridges."

"Young Denis and his mother" were identified through "Project Naming." (Source)

The foundation for what would become "Listen, Hear Our Voices" started with the work of Leah Otak, an Inuit woman who digitized hundreds of interviews with elders and made plentiful contribution to Arctic science. Instead of photos, this initiative focuses on saving the stories, songs, and other spoken word recordings captured on deteriorating tape records. These recordings are invaluable to the revitalization of traditional Indigenous languages and cultural growth. LAC is "proud to assist Indigenous communities in their efforts to secure a sustainable future for their heritage recordings."

Leah Otak digitizing recordings. (Source)

The financial support provided by LAC was monumental for the continued success of the projects, but it is a convenient way for LAC to focus on the documents they willingly share with the public instead of the many they have been accused of hiding. A majority of these "hidden" documents are related to residential schools, especially the abuses inflicted on the children attending. This has left survivors to fight for their right to have their histories accepted and understood. Even in a disappointingly bleak post-Truth and Reconciliation Commission Canada, the government and its collection continue to shrink away from the burden of the horrors of residential schools that they aided in perpetrating. 

Where the Canadian government has continuously failed, many museums are ready to step up. Myseum Toronto has completely abandoned the notion of a permanent collection. Nathan Heuvingh, Curatorial and Program Lead at Myseum, said that the non-traditional set up of Myseum does not allow for a space to hold objects, instantly overcoming the inherent problems that come with collecting certain objects over others. This allows the voice of Myseum to evolve with the needs of the communities they work with instead of imposing a strict model.

Some of the works from the AGO being deaccessioned for sale. (Source)

While the lack of collection succeeds at Myseum, in order for artists to thrive and produce new works, we need to financially support them. Art institutions, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), have begun to deaccession works by artists who are over represented in their collections. By removing and selling these artworks, it allows for the collection to diversify and invest in underrepresented gender identities and people of colour. Art created by marginalized groups deserves to take up space and arguably demonstrates a more comprehensive representation of Canada's past and future.

As we move into the holiday season, be mindful of how one sided histories have affected your friends and families and create, at times, haughty discussions. This does not mean we avoid challenging their often ignorant, racist, and/or prejudice options but instead, meeting them where they are. Even if you do not succeed with these discussions, you can find solace in the fact that your history reflects so much more than the "victor."