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An Introduction to Canadian Identity. Visual Art, Literature, Performing Arts, Sport and Music. Canadian Identity. Canada is so large and its people are so diverse that it is not always easy to define Canada’s identity. There are many factors that influence the concept of national identity.
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An Introduction to Canadian Identity Visual Art, Literature, Performing Arts, Sport and Music
Canadian Identity Canada is so large and its people are so diverse that it is not always easy to define Canada’s identity. There are many factors that influence the concept of national identity. • Landscape features and climate • Community, province, and region • Language, culture, and ethnic background • History • Friends, leaders, politicians, and heroes • Type of government • Opportunities
Artists Reflect Canadian Identity First Nations and Inuit They use a variety of art forms (or media) to represent various aspects of their culture and beliefs. Some are traditional, and some are modern. • West Coast peoples use wood to make masks and totem poles. • Inuit carve stone, antler, and bone. • The Innu do beadwork and use painted patterns to decorate clothing. • The Anishinabe make petroforms, boulders that are arranged on the ground. • Mi’kmaq peoples paint and embroider on birchbark. • Maliseet peoples are skilled porcupine quillworkers.
Inukshuk • The Inukshuk is the symbol of the Canadian Arctic. It is a stone structure Inuit built to resemble a human. They were messages used for other travellers, for marking good hunting or fishing spots, and for showing where supplies of food were stored. They have become popular symbols throughout Canada. Historica Minutes
New France During the 1500s and 1600s, priests were sent to Canada from France to paint primarily churches. The paintings were used to beautify the churches and to spread the message of Christianity. British North America During the 1700s, citizens would pay artists to paint pictures of their families or themselves. Military officers were trained to do topographic drawings – drawings that showed the landscape features. The army wanted to know the geographic details of the land to help it make its military plans. They are often called documentary paintings.
Canada’s Natural Beauty Many paintings were created just because of the sheer natural beauty of our landscape. Other times, artists captured the life of the people who lived and worked here. Frances Ann Hopkins, circa 1869 “The Voyageurs during the Fur Trade” “A Meeting of the School Trustees” Robert Harris, 1885 Historica Minute
New People, New Paintings As more immigrants came to Canada during the 1800’s, new artists emerged. They painted landscape as well as people. “View of Sillery from the Plains of Abraham” by Joseph-Charles Franchère, 1895 “The Habitat’s Home” by Cornelius Krieghoff, 1870 “A Summer Morning” by William Brymner, 1888
Into the Twentieth Century In the early 1900’s, Canadians’ sense of pride and devotion to their country was strong. A group of artists named “The Group of Seven” became very popular for their distinctive way of painting Canada’s landscapes. These artists became world famous. The original group was: A.Y. Jackson, Fred Varley, Lawren Harris, Barker Firley, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer and J.E.H. MacDonald. Tom Thompson joined the small circle but died before the group was formally organized.
“Falls, Montreal River”, 1920 JEH MacDonald “Above Lake Superior”, 1922, L. Harris “Red Maple”, 1914, AY Jackson “The Guides Home, Algonquin”, 1914, A.Lismer
Modern Canadian Artists Modern artists from the late 1900s into 2000 are painters, sculptors, architects, and other visual artists. They include: Emily Carr Maud Lewis Shawn Skier Alan Syliboy Douglas Cardinal Denise Comeau Jack Humphrey Shirley Bear Alex Colville Kenojuak Ashevak
Douglas Cardinal Museum of Civilization, Hull The Crowned Woman by Shawn Skeir Alan Syliboy
Shirley Bear Alex Colville
Writers Reflect Canadian Identity Canadian literature covers all literary genres as writers tell stories, recount events, persuade, explain, report, and describe. Children’s Literature
Ballads Modern Storytelling Ballads are a popular poetic form of narrative writing used to tell a story. They are often based on true events but the truth is stretched to make it more interesting. Many ballads have become songs. Writers often include their own personal experiences and beliefs into their writing. They can be politically charged, emotional, or persuasive. Reach out & Touch by Maxine Tynes Baby girl, baby boy behind me on the bus Reach out And touch the curly electric of my hair Your fingers dipped in the Brown skin magic of my neck To see if it comes off Your mama Slapping hands away Hush-up of your questions And wondering outloud why it doesn’t come off I turn and smile for you But you’re already lost In the silence and the fear that motherlove wraps you in I should have sat beside you Snugged my big warm self up close Held you while your mama juggled parcels Then you would know it’s OK The Cremation of Sam McGee
The Cremation of Sam McGee • Read the poem that has been distributed and answer the following questions with a partner: • Who is the speaker in this poem? • What is the speaker’s tone? • Identify three poetic devices (uses of figurative language) and record the passage • What does this poem suggest about Canadian Culture and/or the Canadian Identity? • Does this poem’s depiction of Canadian Culture/the Canadian Identity reflect your perspective of the Canadian Identity? Explain.
Musicians Reflect Canadian Identity The identity of a nation and its culture is often expressed through the music and lyrical content that its people produce. There are many proud Canadian musicians. Some of these artists have strong Canadian content within their songs that express Canadian identity. Other musicians have music that is more generic. Genre refers to the “type” of music. There are many genres of music. How many more can you name? Rock Rap Country Pop Classical Jazz R&B
The CRTC • It stands for the Canadian Radio-Television Communications Commission and was created in 1979 – before that it was called the Board of Broadcast Governors. • Over the years, many Canadian singer/songwriters felt they had to leave Canada to be successful. • As early as 1929, the Canadian government felt that Canadian radio stations should contain Canadian content. • In 1958, the federal government passed the Broadcasting Act-which was meant to ensure that Canadian radio was “basically Canadian in content and character”. • In 1968, this Act was expanded to include television and cable TV.
The CRTC • Basically, the CRTC is designed to protect and promote Canadian culture, and to ensure that Canadians are offered information and entertainment from a Canadian point of view. • This means that radio and television stations have to devote a specific amount of time each day to Canadian performers.
Song Selections Wheat Kings Lyrics Artist: The Tragically HipAlbum: Fully Completely sundown in the paris of the prairies wheat kings have all their treasures buried and all you hear are the rusty breezes pushingaround the weather vane jesusin his zippo lighter, he sees the killer's face maybe it's someone standing in a killer's place twenty years for nothing, well that'snothing new, besides, no one's interested in something you didn't do wheat kings and pretty things, let's just see what themorning bringsthere's a dream where the high school is dead and stark tt's a museum and we're all locked up in it after dark where the wallsare lined all yellow, grey and sinister hung with pictures of our parents' prime ministers wheat kings and pretty things, wait andsee what tomorrow bringslate-breaking story on the cbc, a nation whispers, "we always knew that he'd go free" they add, "you can't be fond of living inthe past, cause if you are then there's no way that you're gonna last" wheat kings and pretty things let's just see what tomorrowbrings wheat kings and pretty things, that's what tomorrow brings David Milgaard
Classified Yo, Let's take it back to the Maritimes Man You cant take yourself too serious Do that thing you guys were doing Fill your cup up and chug Roll a Joint up and get ---------- Ready for a kitchen party Welcome to the Maritimes [x2] I'm from the East Coast of Canada, home of the bag pipe Known for the fiddle players, beer and our keg price Known for Alexander Keiths and the Donair Home of the Mooseheads but I don't really go there We pay a buck for a litre of gas and Smokes cost $10 a pack and We always mix our tobacco with weed, its just the way we always done it, shit is natural to me So let me tackle the beat and unravel the scene Let you people know what you never travel to see We got battle MC's, we got storytellers And we got awful MC's and corny -------------- We got everything you wanna hear Conscious to Back pack, Commercial to Gangsta R&B to Abstract, grunge to Rock, Classical to Country So many artist workin' but no one making money Welcome to the East Coast, home of the innocence Still Piegon Holed, as a farm or a fisher man No major league teams, baseball or hockey No urban radio, just country and pop beats I'm trying to shake these stereotypes So give me space please, let me air out my life I don't even eat fish, shit I never tried lobster Cant play the fiddle, and never was a logger But I swam in clean lakes, and enjoyed cool breezes But Halifax Harbour's like swimming in diseases We only known for Anne of Green Gables, Coal mines, The Bluenose and P.E.I potatoes The Maritimes, its better then that We livin' in the nether times so dead it with that We got universal soul and buck 65 and The whole CTG and of course Classified We got back burner, good night, alpha flight, Lock Down Mic Boyd, first word, tro biz and hell town And a million other artists, trying to get there flow heard And Let you know that we still workin' on these outskirts We trying to blow like Halifax Explosion Or maybe Anne Murray I know she's Nova Scotian Or Hurricane Juan blowin from the ocean Either way it goes I'm still reppin for my coast man [Chorus] That's how we do it down here Least that's how you think we do it down here We all pile in the kitchen Do it like this [Chorus] Welcome to the Maritimes
The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald By Gordon Lightfoot The legend lives on from the Chippewa on downOf the big lake they call Gitche GumeeThe lake, it is said, never gives up her deadWhen the skies of November turn gloomy.With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons moreThan the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed emptyThat good ship and true was a bone to be chewedWhen the gales of November came earlyThe ship was the pride of the American sideComing back from some mill in WisconsonAs the big freighters go it was bigger than mostWith a crew and the Captain well seasoned.Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firmsWhen they left fully loaded for ClevelandAnd later that night when the ships bell rangCould it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.The wind in the wires made a tattletale soundAnd a wave broke over the railingAnd every man knew, as the Captain did, too,T'was the witch of November come stealing.The dawn came late and the breakfast had to waitWhen the gales of November came slashingWhen afternoon came it was freezing rainIn the face of a hurricane West WindWhen supper time came the old cook came on deckSaying fellows it's too rough to feed yaAt 7PM a main hatchway caved inHe said fellas it's been good to know ya. The Captain wired in he had water coming inAnd the good ship and crew was in perilAnd later that night when his lights went out of sightCame the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.Does anyone know where the love of God goesWhen the words turn the minutes to hoursThe searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish BayIf they'd fifteen more miles behind her.They might have split up or they might have capsizedThey may have broke deep and took waterAnd all that remains is the faces and the namesOf the wives and the sons and the daughters.Lake Huron rolls, Superior singsIn the ruins of her ice water mansionOld Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,The islands and bays are for sportsmen.And farther below Lake OntarioTakes in what Lake Erie can send herAnd the iron boats go as the mariners all knowWith the gales of November remembered.In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayedIn the Maritime Sailors' CathedralThe church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 timesFor each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.The legend lives on from the Chippewa on downOf the big lake they call Gitche GumeeSuperior, they say, never gives up her deadWhen the gales of November come early. SS Edmund Fitzgerald
The Toronto Song By The Arrogant Worms I hate the skydome and the CN tower too,I hate Nathan Phillip's square and the Ontario Zoo,The rent's too high, the air's unclean,The beaches are dirty and the people are mean,And the women are big and the men are dumb,And the children are loopy cuz they live in a slum!The water is polluted and their mayor's a dork,They dress real bad and they think they're New York,In Toronto, Ontario-o-o-Ya know actually I, I think I pretty much hate all of Ontario-(Oh yeah, me too!)I hate Thunder Bay and Ottawa, Kitchener, Windsor and OshawaLondon sucks and the Great Lakes suck and Sarnia sucks and Turkey point sucks,I took a trip to Ontario to visit Brian Mulruney, He beat me up and he stole my pants and he put me in a tree,I went to see the Maple-Leafs and got hit in the head with a puck,(Ah, I-I don't evenknow how they did it really, I mean I was playing the organ at the time!)ONTARIO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O SUCKS, Yep, actually now that I think about it,I think I pretty much hate every gosh darn province and territory in our country,Oh yeah-except Alberta! Oh yeah, I love Alberta, Yeah it's really nice, lots of cows, and trees, and rocks and dirt!(moo moo moo)But,I hate Newfoundland cuz they talk so wierd, and Prince Edward Island is-Too Small,Nova Scotia's dumb cuz it's the name of a bank, New Bruinswick doesn't have a good mall!Quebec is revolting and it makes me mad, Ontario Sucks, Ontario Sucks!(Manitoba's population density is 1.9 people per square kilometre,Isn't that stupid!)Saskatchewan is boring and the people are old,And as for the territories,( they're too cold!)And the only really good tehing about the province of British Columbia is thatit's rightnext to us Cause Alberta doesn’t suck but Calgary does.
Performing Artists reflect Canadian Identity While music tends to dominate, Canadians use many other forms of artistic expression to talk about themselves and their country. Canada is full of actors, both stage and screen, dancers, comedians, and spoken word performers.
Canada has produced some of the best comedic actors of the 80’s and 90’s, including :
However, many Canadian actors move to the United States to produce and star in movies. • Luckily there is a growing Canadian film industry here at home producing some excellent films.
Canada is also home to many comedians, both stand up and sketch. • Second City Toronto was one of the most popular improv / sketch troupes of its time. • CODCO and Kids in the Hall were long running sketch shows on CBC. • Picnicface is a new comedy troupe based in Halifax.
Popular current stand up comedians include • Gerry Dee • Russell Peters • Mary Walsh • Rick Mercer
Although there are many others, both present and past. • Dan Ackroyd • Jon Wing • Bowser and Blue • Sean Cullen • Tom Green • Howie Mandel • Ron James
Other types of performing arts include: • Live theatre • Dance • Modern • Ballet • Jazz There are also many Canadians who work in design and directing who are not front and centre, but who have the power to imbue Canadian Identity into their work.
Athletes Reflect Canadian Identity Canada is known worldwide for its hockey players. Canada is home to some of the greatest hockey players ever and we export players all over the world, spreading what it means to be Canadian. Besides hockey, Canada is known in other sports as well.
Canadians have done particularly well at both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
There are many Canadians playing and coaching in many sports all around the world. • The Canadian work ethic has travelled the globe and has an influence worldwide.
Canada may be a small country, but our influence and impact spread all over the world. • Canadian Identity is broad, but when Canadians travel the world, people know who they are.
