Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Today I’m at Fort York National Historic Site
to take you on a journey back in time
200 years to a conflict that helped shape
Canadian identity, history and culture.
This year, we are celebrating 200 years
of peace between Canada and the United States
following the War of 1812.
From 1812 to 1815, British North America,
which became Canada, came under attack
from Americans several times.
As war with the United States loomed,
the British sought an alliance with First Nations,
led by Tecumseh and his confederacy,
who were outraged by an American attack
on their lands at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.
Tecumseh formed an alliance with the British
in exchange for the promise of an independent
Aboriginal nation. This promise, though entrenched
in the Treaty of Ghent,
which ended the war, would never be fulfilled.
In a speech in 1913, Tecumseh said to his people:
“Our spirits are in the hands of the Great Spirit.
We are determined to defend our lands,
and, if it be to his will,
we wish to leave our bones upon them.”
This would be true for Tecumseh,
who was killed in the battle of Thames in 1813.
Today the Fort’s cannons lie
silent and the barracks are still.
But in in 1813, this spot was rocked
by the Battle of York during which as many
as 220 Aboriginal warriors fought against
an American invasion on the capital
of Upper Canada. Chippewa and Mississauga
Aboriginals were the first to engage battle
when the larger American force landed.
The British abandoned the besieged Fort,
but not before setting the powder magazine
alight in a massive explosion
that killed over 200 Americans.
Many Aboriginal warriors were killed and wounded
in the battle of York, including two Chiefs.
As in the battle of York, the War of 1812
overall was costly for First Nations.
While historians disagree on whether
the United States or Britain won the war,
it is clear that First Nations paid
a disproportionate price, losing as many as
10,000 warriors and the promise
of an independent Aboriginal nation.
When First Nations took up arms
alongside the British they wore battle
attire that combined the traditions
of both cultures, with unique results.
These 200 year old artefacts
are a prime example.
Brass gorgets were highly prized
by both British officers and Aboriginal Chiefs.
Many were given to First Nation Warriors
to solidify partnerships as those seemed
during the War of 1812.
First Nations routinely modified European objects
to meet their own cultural needs
and the gorget was no exception.
As you can see this fragment
has been cut from a much larger brass
gorget and turned into a new item uniquely
suited to its First Nations' owner.
This gorget, found in an archaeological
excavation at Fort York in 1998
will be on display at the Fort's
New Visitor Centre in 2013.
The bicentennial of the War of 1812 is coming.
How will you remember?
This message has been brought to you by
Fort York National Historic Site
and The Historica-Dominion Institute.