Know History
384 Bank Street K2P 1Y4 Ottawa, ON, Canada

On this day in 1962, George Armstrong, a player of Ojibway descent and the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs won his first Stanley Cup with the team! Armstrong was the captain of the Maple Leafs for 13 seasons and played in 1,888 NHL games between 1950 and 1971. Armstrong recently passed away at the age of 90. You can learn more about his life and career here: http://ow.ly/rYdD50DByk8 Library and Archives Canada, item no. 4879566

On this day in history, Tomson Highway’s play Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing premiered Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto. Set in the fictional Wasaychigan Hill reserve in Northern Ontario, it tells the story of seven men’s lives and aspirations. The play is written in a mix of Cree, Ojibway, and English. A finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award, the work is a companion piece to Highway’s earlier play, The Rez Sisters. Who has Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskas...ing on their reading list this year? National Arts Centre. Library and Archives Canada, e008748967; and Portrait of Tomson Highway by Edward Gajdel, 1999. Library and Archives Canada, e006609443.

KH Associate Meghan Lundrigan is participating in the Parkes Institute’s round table discussion on memory, dark tourism, and art in the digital age, which follows the premiere of Udi Nir and Sagi Bornstein’s documentary, #uploading_holocaust. #uploading_holocaust offers a unique point of view of a new generation, while revealing a moving and troubling image of the way collective memory is formed in the age of social media. Register to attend the talk for free here: https://www.southampton.ac.uk//04/13-uploading-holocaust.p

What COVID-19 has made abundantly clear is that access to clean water is essential. That's why we are proud to be supporting Water First. Water First connects Indigenous communities with the education and knowledge they need to solve water safety issues for good. Their hands-on training fills a need for local, young and qualified individuals who can ensure safe, clean drinking water now and for generations to come. Learn how you can join Know History in achieving our goal of donating $10,000 to @WaterFirstngo one water bottle at a time! http://knowhistory.co/WorldWaterDay

In 2018, there were 174 drinking water advisories in over 100 First Nations Non-potable water has no place in the past, the present, or the future. Join us in making sure clean drinking water is in everyone's future. http://knowhistory.co/WorldWaterDay

"Colonialism has impacted, controlled, and, in some cases, changed Indigenous identities. [I]t is evident that the qualities that shaped Canada were heavily dependent on my ancestors’ assimilation and dehumanizationclearing them out so that newcomers could find prosperity." For the second instalment of their three part blog, Skylee-Storm Hogan, Know History Research Associate, explains how Indigenous people’s identities were challenged by the government's dehumanizing registration process. Read more here: http://knowhistory.co/IdentityPart2

In April 1964, Buffy Sainte-Marie released her first album, It’s My Way! Long celebrated in the folk music community, the album received well-deserved recognition in 2020 when it won the Polaris Music Prize! What’s your favourite song on the album?

Thanks to our first 1,000 water bottle scans, we have donated $1,000 to Water First Education and Training Inc. We want to thank everyone who is helping us work towards clean drinking water for all Indigenous communities. Want to get involved? We have 9,000 scans to go! Learn more and sign-up to receive your water bottle here: http://knowhistory.co/WorldWaterDay

Water is a human right. That’s why we joined the Fill it Forward campaign. We’ll match every water bottle scan with a $1 donation. Money raised will go to Water First Education and Training Inc. to fund opportunities for Indigenous adults to undertake training programs so they can pursue a career in water science. Get your water bottle and get involved! DM or comment below! http://knowhistory.co/WorldWaterDay

Canada has promised to address water rights in Indigenous communities for more than two decades. The Neskantaga First Nation has been without clean drinking water for . No more empty promises to the Neskantaga. The lack of access to clean, safe drinking water in Indigenous communities must change. Learn more.

SandBay Entertainment and the LGBT Purge Fund have launched a curated digital series dedicated to the survivors of Canada’s LGBT Purge. We are honoured to be involved in the LGBT Purge - Survivor Stories project and are pleased to announce the launch of the first six interviews. Between the 1950s and mid-1990s, LGBT members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and the federal public service were systematically discriminated against, harassed and often fired as a matter of ...policy and sanctioned practice. In what came to be known as the LGBT Purge, people were followed, interrogated, abused and traumatized. The LGBT Purge was implemented at the highest levels of the Government of Canada and was carried out with callous disregard for the dignity, privacy and humanity of its victims. With its roots in the Cold War, the Canadian Government’s LGBT Purge continued for over forty years. An estimated 9,000 lives were devastated over those years, and the irreparable psychological trauma continues to this day. The careers and self-esteem of a generation of young people were destroyed; victims were denied benefits, severance, pensions and opportunities for promotion if they managed to keep their jobs. This shameful period in Canadian history also resulted in suicide, HIV, fear, depression, PTSD, addiction, disownment, criminalization, rejection, isolation, erasure and many other enduring and painful experiences. Six interviews are currently available to watch. We hope that you’ll take the time to watch, learn, and share this incredible project: http://ow.ly/6lPG50E7IlK #LGBTpurge #survivorstories

Listen to Eric Vautour from Sheguiandah First Nation, a graduate from the Water First Internship Program, sharing his story about the day he heard the internship program was being extended after a water ceremony. Know History is honoured to be supporting this program. Learn how you can join our #FillitForward team! http://knowhistory.co/WorldWaterDay #WaterFirst #WeValueWater

We are happy to announce the publication of Columbia Basin Trust: A Story of People, Power and a Region United. We were privileged work closely with Columbia Basin Trust to help them tell the story of their first twenty-five years. You can read the online version here: https://25years.ourtrust.org/.

World Water Day was yesterday but the need for clean water does not end. Over the next several months we will be working to raise awareness about water rights in Canada and amplifying the work being done to bring clean water to all Indigenous communities. #WaterisLife

Over the past few days, members of our team have been participating in Indigenous Maps #2020IMW. We've had the opportunity to listen to passionate speakers about the ways they use geospatial technologies. We'll be taking away a few new tricks to apply to our own work! Thank you to The Firelight Group and all the #2020IMW partners for facilitating this amazing event. Is it too early to start the countdown for next year? If you're interested in learning more about the event, check out: https://www.indigenousmaps.com/

Are you attending #NCPH2021? Don't forget to check out Skylee-Storm Hogan and Emily Keyes' live Q&A session on the screening of their historical documentary on the 1907 Quebec Bridge Disaster. You can attend live on March 25, 12:30 PM EST! See the program: https://ncph.org/conference/2021-annual-meeting/program/

Water and colonization are inextricably linked. Over hundreds of years, colonial powers crossed oceans to breach, uninvited and in increasing numbers, living rivers and tributaries on the sovereign lands of many Nations. - Dr. Karine Duhamel #WorldWaterDay Read the full World Water Day Think Piece by renowned Anishinaabe-Métis historian, Dr. Karine Duhamel, on the Know Indigenous History website: http://knowhistory.co/WaterIs

WOW! We've already surpassed our initial goal of raising $5000 for Movember Canada. Want to help us get further? Donate through the link below. Our fantastic KH team members have been growing glorious moustaches and smashing their movement goals left and right. Here are some visual aids to highlight their latest adventures! Don't forget - TODAY Know History is matching ALL donations up to $1000. If you want to contribute, today is the day to do it!... Donate here: https://ca.movember.com/team/2377106 #movember2020

Approximately 40% of First Nation communities in Ontario are under a boil water advisory. For World Water Day we are supporting @WaterFirst, Canada’s leading charitable organization working with Indigenous communities to resolve local water challenges. With every scan of our custom @FillitForward water bottles, Know History will donate $1 to @WaterFirst. You can join us in this journey to end drinking water advisories across Canada. Learn more and get involved today! #ShouldB...eHistory. http://knowhistory.co/WorldWaterDay This custom illustration was created for World Water Day by Tom Spetter, a Lead Designer at Animikii. An important day like this deserves a meaningful illustration. When Tom created this graphic, he did it with #love and shared an important message passed on to him from his Uncle. "Whenever you are praying and look up and see an Eagle in the sky you know that your prayers have been answered. So with the hopes and prayers of clean water, I see this as an answer that those hopes will soon be fulfilled."

Know History's historians from across Canada are giving their upper lips and legs to raise funds and awareness for men's health this November. That's right - Know History has committed to growing some fabulous facial hair and moving (running, walking, biking, etc.) over 60km during the month of November to raise money and awareness for Movember Canada! There's more - for today, November 18th, Know History is also going to match all funds raised up to $1000. If you're going t...o donate, today is the day! We'll be sharing some excellent visuals later to keep you updated on our progress What are you waiting for? Donate here: http://ow.ly/y9ST50CnWzT #Movember2020

This past spring, we were honoured to receive the Public History Prize from the Canadian Historical Association / Société historique du Canada, and the National Council on Public History - NCPH's Excellence in Consulting Award for our collaborative work with the Métis Nation of Ontario on the Historic Métis Communities Video Project. We’re thrilled to collaborate with Indigenous governments and organizations like the MNO to document and share, with audiences at home and arou...nd the world, the many histories that make up our country, says Know History Director, Ryan Shackleton. The Métis Nation of Ontario Historic Métis Communities Video Project is one way in which we remain a partner in innovation and education. #CanadianInnovationWeek #CanadianInnovationWeek2020

Know History is proud to be a partner in innovation and education, and we are excited to share our innovative projects with #CanadianInnovationWeek. One of the projects of which we are the proudest is the Métis Nation of Ontario Historic Métis Communities Video Project. In 2018, Know History was hired by the Métis Nation of Ontario to help produce seven educational videos, each sharing the history of a Historic Métis Community. While this innovative project started as an educ...ational resource, it transformed into a celebration of Métis history and culture and the first of its kind to document Métis history and culture on this scale. The project team conducted over 350 hours of archival and image research at Library and Archives Canada, The Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, and local archives and repositories. Over the course of three months, they conducted twenty-eight oral history interviews with Métis citizens, visiting nearly two dozen communities, and driving over 7000km now, that is a lot of road trip playlists! The Métis Nation of Ontario’s leadership and innovation is making these stories known to a wider audience than ever before. The documentaries will be available to students in grade six through 10, in support of Métis, First Nations, and Inuit enhancements that are being made to the Ontario Social Studies and History Curricula. We are grateful for the privilege to assist in sharing these stories. #CanadianInnovationWeek

We’re excited to be participating in #CanadianInnovationWeek, hosted annually by Canadian Innovation Space! Keep an eye on our page today we’ll be sharing an innovative historical and educational project that we have had the privilege to work on. Join the virtual celebration that encourages innovation in all areas of life: https://bit.ly/2GIhYWY

On Thursday our Digital Innovation Manager, Stacey Devlin, is going to be Zooming into Dr. Benjamin Hoy's class in the Department of History, University of Saskatchewan to talk about how Know History engages with Indigenous communities in our Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping projects. Learn more about and the services we offer here: http://ow.ly/6ol250C3Z3h