Description:

Frank Nicholson

The first half of this talk provides an overview of what life was like for the hundreds of First Nations groups living in what is today Canada, the United States and northern Mexico just before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic in 1492. We'll tour the continent’s ten distinct "cultural areas" dictated by geography, climate, flora and fauna, each area having its own environment, economy, government, lifestyle and culture.

The second half will zero in on one specific nation, the Huron or Wendat as they're known today. We'll learn how, after residing for thousands of years in what is now southern Ontario, the Wendat lost a war with a rival indigenous group (the Iroquois  or Haudenosaunee, around 1650, forcing them to abandon their homeland. Many moved to the outskirts of Quebec City, where their descendants continue to preserve and share their heritage to this day.

The reserve, known as Wendake, is only a short drive or shuttle-bus ride from the city’s downtown, leading you to a fascinating museum, a reconstructed Wendat village, a 200-year-old chief's residence and a 300-year-old Catholic church. A day can include guided tours, craft workshops and traditional music, and there's an upscale hotel and restaurant for those who want to stay overnight.

 

Since retiring with a PhD in history fifteen years ago, Torontonian Frank Nicholson has participated in a dozen different later life learning organizations in Canada and the United Kingdom, facilitating nearly thirty study groups, including one entitled Indigenous Histories of North America.

Mandatory membership(s):

• Annual Membership

Price: $10.00 Taxes waived

More information: This is a 'reverse hybrid' presentation and will also be available in-class

Tags: Zoom

Share this activity: