Massey Museum exhibit revives 2,000-year-old history

At more than 2,000 years old, some ancient Anishinabek artifacts are getting a new life at Massey Area Museum.

Historic items from Fort La Cloche are on display at the Massey Area Museum.

Reconnecting Awakening: Heirlooms of History Fort La Cloche exhibit includes some artifacts that date back more than 2,000 years and shine a light on Anishinabek history.

“We wanted people to recognize that families were raised there and that there were life stories playing out there for thousands of years,” said researcher Allen Toulouse.

“So, when they look at these artifacts, they don’t … just see an arrowhead. Look at it and imagine somebody chipping away and making it – the story behind that.”

An exhibit was not the original intention. It started as an Indigenous training program on history but grew into something bigger.

“When we were doing the archeological monitor training, that’s we were looking for artifacts that we could (use) in the training to show participants what kinds of things would be typically found in this area,” said Sarah Hazell from the University of Toronto.

“It’s at the Ojibway Cultural Foundation, and there were 43 boxes, and that’s like a lot of ancestors’ belongings.”

“The exciting part is that these items that were kept in boxes for so long, they’re given a new life,” said Naomi Recollect from the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.

Alicia Hawkins from the University of Toronto said it’s important to note that First Nations are shaping the way that archeology is being conducted in their communities.

“And the first step to doing that is to provide a place where people can learn about ancestral belongings,” Hawkins said.

Recollect said the exhibition had a lot of community involvement, with many people taking their own artistic inspiration.

“This exhibit includes both the ancestral belongings, but it also includes artwork from Anishinabek artists that is inspired by the Cloche,” she said.

“It’s really cool because seeing the new works alongside these old belongings, these ancestral belongings – it’s really kind of reaffirms that we’re still here and that this knowledge isn’t lost,” said Shaelynn Recollet from the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.

“We’re still learning it. We’re relearning it and it’s still alive.”

Toulouse said the collection includes a lot of information on northern history, and they encourage everyone to learn more while it’s on display this summer.

There are also items on display that were believed to be traded between Anishinabek and settlers.

“I think that’s … a really beautiful way to kind of summarize how this area has really evolved,” said Shaelynn Recollet.

“There (are) bone buttons, there are wood buttons, there are even shell buttons that were handmade. So you could tell that Anishinabek made these buttons alongside these European-like metal buttons and glass buttons.”

Toulouse said they wanted to display all items together to show Fort La Cloche as a historic trading location.

“That’s what attracted the French settlers with the Northwest Company, the Hudson’s Bay Company,” he said.

“That’s always been a site of trade between people. And that was kind of the narrative we were going with. These aren’t separate things – these are all intertangled stories.”