And, thus, the story of human existence is repeated, over, and over.
How many place names survived when a group of immigrants moved into a sparsely occupied area – anywhere?
Were the Neanderthals asked the names that they had for referencing places before they were displaced?
I think that there is a lot of ‘romanticizing’ of the aboriginal populations. They were not all sweet, peace-loving, naturalists. Here is a quote from a document on the Canadian Government’s Website:
Quote:
Despite the myth that Aboriginals lived in happy harmony before the arrival of Europeans, war was central to the way of life of many First Nation cultures. Indeed, war was a persistent reality in all regions though, as Tom Holm has argued, it waxed in intensity, frequency and decisiveness. The causes were complex and often interrelated, springing from both individual and collective motivations and needs. At a personal level, young males often had strong incentives to participate in military operations, as brave exploits were a source of great prestige in most Aboriginal cultures. According to one Jesuit account from the 18th Century, ‘The only way to attract respect and public veneration among the Illinois is, as among the other Savages, to acquire a reputation as a skilful hunter, and particularly as a good warrior … it is what they call being a true man.’ Among west coast societies, the material goods and slaves acquired through raiding were important avenues to build up sufficient wealth to host potlatches and other give-away ceremonies.
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From
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-...h-america.html
I probably mentioned this before, but my high-school-aged nephew was perplexed when he was at the Canadian Museum of History, several years back. There was a display of War Clubs – except, he had been taught in school that all First Nations people were peaceful. There had been no talk of wars or slavery in his education.
Yes, history IS being modified and ‘adjusted’ to what ‘should’ be taught. But that is certainly nothing new. History has always been reinterpreted as societies have changed.
As for erasing aboriginal names for places: Since many of the European ‘Colonialists’ were led through our area by their native guides, we do have a good number of (Europeanized) Algonquin names for places. Not the least of which is the name of the Country and its capital.