It is #IndigneousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Hiawatha, the man who co-founded the Iroquois Confederacy.
It is not known when Hiawatha was born, but it is believed to be between 1300-1400 CE.
After a youth spent in violence, he met Deganawida, The Peacemaker.
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Hiawatha was either a Mohawk or Onondaga by birth. At the time, feuds caused constant warfare among the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Mohawk.
Hiawatha took the message of peace from Deganawida to the Five Nations to end the bloodshed.
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He was taught the Condolence Ceremony by Deganawida, and Hiawatha used it to end the blood feuds and mourning wars among the nations.
According to legend, he first met the Mohawk and moved west through the nations to move them towards peace and unity.
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Deganawida had a speech impediment, and Hiawatha was his spokesperson to the nations.
Due to Hiawatha bringing the message of Deganawida, the Iroquois Confederacy formed.
At its height, the Confederacy stretched from upstate New York into Ontario & Quebec & down to Ohio.
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Happy Friday!
As requested by many, here is what AI generated for the Muppets that live in Canadian cities
I included how each city was named
Vancouver:
Indigenous name: The Halkomelem called it Lhq’á:lets for wide at the bottom
Modern name: Named for Capt. George Vancouver
Victoria:
Indigenous name: The Lekwungen called the area Camosack, or "Rush of Water".
Modern name: Named for Queen Victoria, previous settlements were called Fort Albert, before it was renamed as Fort Victoria.
Edmonton:
Indigenous name: The Cree called the area Amiskwaciy or "Beaver Hills".
Modern name: William Tomison named the fort for the hometown of the Lake family, who were influential in the HBC. They were from Edmonton, Middlesex, England.
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of Everett Klippert, the last person in Canada arrested, charged & convicted for homosexual acts.
George Everett Klippert was born on Sept. 6, 1926 in Kindersley, Saskatchewan but raised in Calgary.
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In 1960, he was arrested, charged and convicted of 18 charges of gross indecency and sentenced to four years in prison.
After his release, he moved to Pine Point, NWT to work as a mechanic.
In 1965, he was questioned about an arson case he had nothing to do with.
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In that case, he stated he had consensual homosexual relations with four adult men in the previous year. He was subsequently charged on four counts of gross indecency.
A psychiatrist stated he was a "incurable homosexual" and was sentenced as a dangerous sexual offender.
Conrad Santos was born on Nov. 26, 1934 in the Philippines. After attending Harvard, he moved to Winnipeg in 1965 and taught at the University of Manitoba, remaining there until 2008.
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In 1977 and 1980, he ran for Winnipeg City Council but lost both times.
In 1981, he ran to be an NDP MLA in the Manitoba Legislature, winning his seat, becoming the first Canadian of Filipino heritage elected to a Legislature. He remained in the Legislature until 1988.
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In 1990, Santos returned to the Legislature and remained an MLA until 2007. He would serve as the Deputy Speaker of the Legislature twice when he was an MLA.
In 2007, he left the NDP caucus due to accusations of paying membership dues for 100 new NDP members.
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of the homosexual tests of the 1950s.
In the 1950s, a device that was termed "fruit machine" was created by Frank Robert Wake, a professor with Carleton University.
Its purpose was to find homosexuals in the civil service.
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Subjects were told the test was to measure stress levels. The subjects sat in a chair similar to a dentists chair. It had a pulley with a camera that focused on the pupil.
There was a black box that displayed pictures from the mundane to sexually-explicit.
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The device and operator then measured the diameter of the pupils of the eyes, pulse and perspiration to determine if someone was aroused by pictures of someone of the same sex.
The machine was used to find gay men in the civil service, military & RCMP.
Giovanni Caboto was born around 1450 in Naples and by the 1480s he was working in the maritime trade. He eventually fell into dire financial straits and worked building bridges for a time.
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Wanting to find a passage to China, going from a northerly latitude, he sought financing and patronage from England. He received this on March 5, 1496.
Little is known of his first voyage in 1496 but its believed bad weather prevented an Atlantic crossing.
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With his ship and crew of 18-20 men, they reached the shores of Newfoundland (or possibly Nova Scotia), becoming the first known Europeans since the Vikings to reach that area of North America.
It is reported he landed only once, and did not walk beyond the beach.
Crowfoot (Isapo-Muxika) was born in 1830 in what is now southern-Alberta.
It is known he fought in at least 19 battles and was well-respected for his skills as a warrior and leader.
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In 1877, he was involved in the negotiations over Treaty 7. He did not want to give up land to settlers just to watch them kill the bison, but he also knew that settlers were coming regardless. He pushed to get the most favourable terms he could for his people.
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Despite his efforts, the government failed to live up to the terms and barely provided enough rations for the Blackfoot to survive on.
In 1885, he did not participate in the North-West Resistance, knowing any victories would be only temporary for his people.