Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jun 8, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read Read on X
It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Alanis Obomsawin, one of Canada's top filmmakers!

Alanis Obomsawin was born on Aug. 31, 1932 in New Hampshire. When she was 6 months old, her family moved to the Odanak Reserve near Sorel, Quebec.

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The family moved to Trois-Rivieres when she was nine. As the only Indigenous family there, she held onto the stories and songs she learned from elders on the reserve near Sorel.
By the time she was in her 20s, she spoke Wôbanakiak, English & French.

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Starting as a folk singer-songwriter, she began to work with the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s.
In 1971, she made her first NFB documentary, Christmas at Moose Factory.
Over the next 50 years, she would make over 50 celebrated films with the NFB.

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Her most celebrated film is Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, released in 1993, documenting the Oka Crisis of 1990.
Her work primarily focuses on the Indigenous experience in Canada. Her most recent film is Bill Reid Remembers, released in 2022.

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Obomsawin has won numerous awards including the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, the Order of Canada, the Glenn Gould Prize and the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts. She has also received numerous honorary degrees.

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More from @CraigBaird

Jun 15
Tommy Prince was one of the most decorated soldiers in Canadian history through two different wars.
But after his war service finished, he was forgotten by the country he had served.
This is the story of Tommy Prince.

🧵 1/20 The black-and-white photo shows Tommy Prince in a military uniform. He is wearing a beret with an insignia and a jacket with a tie, featuring shoulder stripes and insignia indicating rank or service. The background is plain, emphasizing his formal military attire and composed demeanor.
Tommy Prince's ancestors had served in support of the Crown during the 1870 Red River Resistance, and his father Chief William Prince was a member of the Nile Expedition in 1885. Family members also served in the First World War.

🧵2/20 The black-and-white photo depicts a large group of people standing in front of a grand, historic building with a prominent central tower and Gothic architectural features, such as pointed arches and detailed stonework. The crowd, consisting of men dressed in early 20th-century attire including suits and hats, is arranged in several rows, suggesting a formal gathering or event. The building's facade includes multiple windows and ornate decorations, indicating it may be a significant public or governmental structure.
Tommy Prince was born on Oct. 25, 1915. Growing up, Prince was an excellent marksmen. He also developed tracking and stealth skills.
Prince's father taught him to shoot using a target the size of a playing card at 100 metres.

🧵3/20 The black-and-white photo shows Tommy Prince in a military uniform. He is wearing a beret with an insignia and a jacket featuring a winged badge on the chest and sergeant stripes on the sleeve, indicating his rank. The background is dark and plain, keeping the focus on his formal military attire and confident expression.
Read 21 tweets
Jun 14
Chief Dan George led an amazing life.
A gifted poet. An activist for his people. A movie star.
Remembered as the first Indigenous person to receive an Academy Award nomination, he was so much more than that.
This is his story.

🧵 1/16 The photo shows an individual with long, white hair, wearing a dark shirt and a patterned tie with a beaded medallion necklace. They are holding a carved wooden staff topped with a totem-like figure, featuring a face and outstretched wings, possibly representing an eagle or another significant symbol. The background is an outdoor setting with blurred greenery, suggesting a forest or wooded area. The overall composition suggests a cultural or ceremonial context, possibly related to Indigenous traditions.
Dan George was born Geswanouth Slahoot on the Burrard Reserve on July 24, 1899.
He was a descendant of Chief Wautsauk, who met Capt. George Vancouver when he landed in the area in 1792.
From an early age, he went by the first name Daniel.

🧵2/16 The photo is a black-and-white image of an elderly individual with long, white hair, wearing traditional attire. The person is dressed in a dark, buttoned garment with large white buttons running down the front and a patterned scarf or shawl. They also wear a headpiece made of what appears to be woven material or feathers. The background features an outdoor setting with a wooden building and some trees, suggesting a rural or historical environment.
After he was forced into Residential School at the age of five, his last name was changed to George.
At the age of 16, he left Residential School and began working various jobs. These jobs included as a bus driver, longshoreman and construction worker.

🧵3/16 The photo depicts an elderly individual with long, gray hair, dressed in traditional attire. They are wearing a white garment adorned with colorful embroidery, including floral patterns and red designs, and a bright red bandana around their neck. The background features a lush, green forest with ferns and trees, suggesting a natural, outdoor setting. The individual appears to be gazing slightly upward, exuding a contemplative or serene expression.
Read 17 tweets
Jun 9
On July 12, 1855, some drunk clowns got into a massive brawl with a bunch of firefighters at a Toronto brothel.
By the next day, several firefighters were beaten and the circus was burned to the ground.
This is the story of Toronto's Firemen And Clown Brothel Riot.

🧵1/8 The image depicts a vintage scene inside a circus tent, featuring several individuals dressed in colorful, theatrical costumes. A central figure, a clown with a white face, red nose, and green-and-pink ruffled outfit, stands holding a small mirror. Surrounding the clown are other performers, including a man in a maroon outfit adjusting his appearance, another clown in a blue-and-red costume, and a person in a top hat and formal attire. In the foreground, a performer in a yellow-and-red outfit is working with a large black cloth or costume piece. The background shows additional circus perfor...
In 1855, Toronto was a bustling city in between its two terms as the capital of the Province of Canada.
On July 12 of that year, the Star Troupe Menagerie and Circus arrived in the city for a series of shows.

🧵 2/8 The image is a black-and-white aerial view of a densely packed town or city from an earlier era, likely the 19th century. The scene features numerous closely built houses and buildings with pitched roofs, many of which have chimneys. The architecture includes a mix of brick and wooden structures, with some buildings showing multiple stories. In the background, a church steeple rises above the rooftops, serving as a focal point. The streets are narrow and winding, and the overall atmosphere is hazy, suggesting industrial activity or fog. The image has a historical, vintage feel, typical of e...
After giving a sold-out performance that night, the clowns in the circus decided to celebrate. After drinking for awhile, the clowns made their way to a brothel located at King and Jarvis. This also happened to be a favourite place for local firefighters.

🧵 3/8 The image is a black-and-white aerial view of a densely packed town or city, likely from the 19th century. It features numerous closely built houses and buildings with pitched roofs and chimneys, constructed from brick and wood. A prominent church steeple rises in the background, standing out against the hazy skyline. The streets are narrow and winding, and the overall scene has a historical, vintage feel typical of early photography, with a mix of residential and possibly industrial structures.
Read 9 tweets
Jun 5
Coming Out was a groundbreaking documentary series that aired in Canada in 1972.
It was the first Canadian television program to target the LGBTQ community.
It became a landmark series that is mostly forgotten today.
This is its story.

🧵1/4 The black-and-white photo captures a group of people participating in a gay rights protest on a city street, likely during a pride event. The crowd holds various signs with messages like "REPEAL ALL ANTI-GAY LAWS," "GLAD TO BE GAY," "MANY OF YOU ARE GAY TOO!," and "CANADIAN GAY PRIDE WEEK," advocating for gay rights and visibility. Some signs feature symbols like the lambda, associated with gay liberation. The protesters are dressed in casual clothing, with some wearing tank tops and others in jackets, reflecting the era's fashion. The background show...
In 1972, only three years after homosexuality was decriminalized in Canada, Maclean-Hunter's cable community channel in Toronto launched Coming Out.
The series was targeted specifically to an LGBTQ audience, running for 13 episodes in total.

🧵2/4 The black-and-white photo depicts a group of people marching in a gay rights parade on a city street. The participants carry signs, including one that reads "GAY PRIDE" and another partially visible sign ending in "LINE." The group is diverse, with individuals dressed in 1970s-style clothing such as striped shirts, vests, and jackets, some with fringed details. One person wears sunglasses, and another has an afro hairstyle, reflecting the era's fashion. The background shows brick buildings and storefronts, with signs like "THE WALLACE" visible, indicating an ur...
Focused on the gay community of Toronto, it premiered on Sept. 11, 1972.
It was hosted by Paul Pearce and Sandra Dick of the Community Homophile Association of Toronto.
The show provided a positive portrayal of the LGBTQ community that was rare at the time.

🧵3/4 The black-and-white photo captures a group of people marching in a gay rights parade on a city street. A large banner held by two participants prominently reads "GAY PRIDE," leading the procession. Other signs in the crowd include messages like "GAY IS GREAT," "WOMEN LOVE WOMEN," and "PEACE," advocating for acceptance and equality. The marchers are dressed in 1970s-era clothing, such as bell-bottom pants, tank tops, and casual shirts, with some wearing striped patterns. The street is lined with trees and buildings in the background. The atmosphere is ...
Read 4 tweets
May 29
Canada has over 8,500 named rivers that have helped shape our landscape, culture and history.
Some rivers are short, some are very long, but where do they begin?
Every great river starts as a trickle of water.
These are the sources of some of our major rivers.

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The Mackenzie River is the longest river in Canada at 4,241 kilometres long. Its drainage basin is 1.7 million square kilometres, second in North America to only the Mississippi.
That all begins at Great Slave Lake, the source of the Mackenzie River.

🧵2/15 This satellite image shows a section of Great Slave Lake in Canada, with a focus on environmental changes. The main image highlights the lake's icy surface, labeled "Lake ice," and surrounding land. A "Burn scar" is marked in the upper central area, indicating a region affected by a wildfire. The image also shows a river or channel flowing into the lake, with a green box labeled "Detail" zooming in on this area. The inset detail reveals a closer view of the water and land interface, likely showing changes in ice or water levels. The image includes a scale bar i...
The Yukon River is the second longest river in Canada, running for 3,185 kilometres.
It stretches from British Columbia, through Yukon, and into Alaska.
The source is generally believed to be the Llewellyn Glacier at Atlin Lake in BC (or maybe Lake Lindeman).

🧵3/15 The photo depicts a dramatic, remote landscape featuring a glacier flowing from snow-capped mountains into a valley. The mountains in the background are rugged, with steep slopes covered in snow and ice, showing deep crevasses and ridges. The glacier, a vast sheet of ice with a blue-gray hue, extends into the foreground, terminating in a silt-laden, milky river that winds through the valley. The surrounding terrain is barren, with dark, rocky hills and sparse vegetation, emphasizing the harsh, cold environment. The sky is overcast, casting a muted light over the scene, which enhances the st...
Read 15 tweets
May 28
For a time in the 1930s, five sisters were the biggest tourist attraction in Ontario, surpassing even Niagara Falls.
But behind the scenes, they were exploited by everyone around them, including the Ontario Government.
This is the story of the Dionne Quintuplets.

🧵1/16 The photo shows five young girls, the Dionne Quintuplets, dressed in matching sailor outfits. They are wearing white uniforms with dark trim and neckties, along with hats labeled "H.M.S. Tiger." The girls are posing together, with some saluting and others standing with arms crossed or hands on hips, against a plain backdrop. The image has a sepia tone, suggesting it is historical, likely from the 1930s when the Dionne Quintuplets were famous as the first known surviving set of quintuplets.
On May 28, 1934, five girls (Yvonne, Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie) were born to Oliva-Édouard and Elzire outside Corbeil, Ontario.
Born premature, they were the first known quintuplets to survive infancy.
They were delivered by local doctor Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe.

🧵2/16 This black-and-white photograph, taken in 1934, shows Elzire Dionne lying in bed next to her newborn quintuplets—the Dionne quintuplets. The five babies are tightly swaddled in white blankets and arranged in a neat row next to their mother, each sleeping peacefully.  The image captures a historic moment, as the Dionne quintuplets—Annette, Émilie, Yvonne, Cécile, and Marie—were the first known quintuplets to survive infancy. They were born prematurely in Ontario, Canada, and quickly became a global sensation during the Great Depression.  The photo reflects the era's medical and photographic ...
Their total weight at birth was 13 pounds six ounces (6.1 kg). The babies were kept in a wicker basket borrowed from neighbours, covered with heated blankets. They were each massaged with olive oil and given water sweetened with corn syrup.

🧵3/16 describe photo of dionne quintuplets  The photo shows five young children, the Dionne Quintuplets, sitting closely together on a blanket. They are dressed in similar light-colored outfits, typical of the 1930s. The image is in black and white, and each child is labeled with their name: Cécile, Marie, Yvonne, Émilie, and Annette. They appear to be around one year old, with some holding or sitting near small beach balls. The background includes a crib, suggesting a nursery setting. The overall tone of the photo reflects the historical context of their early fame as the first known surviving s...
Read 17 tweets

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