Why Canadian history isn't as boring as you think it is: Chris Turner at TEDxYYC
Summary
TLDRThe speaker passionately argues for the importance of Canadian history, emphasizing that it is not as dull as commonly perceived. They draw parallels with American storytelling, highlighting the United States' ability to create compelling narratives around its history. The speaker critiques the stereotypical image of Canada as boring, exemplified by the character of Sergeant Preston and his dog, and attributes this to the influence of American media. They advocate for reclaiming and retelling Canadian stories with richness and depth, using the Klondike Gold Rush and figures like Sam Steele as examples of the exciting tales that can be shared. The speaker concludes by urging the audience to explore and share Canada's vibrant history to better understand the nation's identity and potential.
Takeaways
- 😀 Canadian history is often perceived as boring, but it's filled with exciting and important stories that define the nation's identity.
- 🌟 The power of storytelling is crucial for understanding our past, present, and future, and it's a skill that Canadians should embrace more.
- 🇺🇸 The United States has been influential in shaping the narrative around Canadian history, often portraying Canadians as less exciting than their own mythologized frontier stories.
- 📸 Eric Heg, a Swedish immigrant and photographer, played a significant role in creating the popular image of the Canadian Mountie and the Klondike Gold Rush through his iconic photographs.
- 📺 The rise of mass media and photography allowed for the widespread dissemination of images and stories, which helped to shape the mythology of the Klondike Gold Rush.
- 🎭 The long-form narrative drama, akin to the novel for our time, offers a new medium for telling historical stories in depth, which could be harnessed to bring Canadian history to life.
- 🚨 The Klondike series, produced by the United States, risks perpetuating the stereotype of Canadians as dull and law-abiding, rather than showcasing the rich and varied history.
- 🏰 The story of Sam Steele, a historical figure involved in significant events like the Red River Rebellion and the Klondike Gold Rush, is an example of the rich and under-told narratives in Canadian history.
- 📚 Pierre Berton's work, particularly 'Klondike,' is highlighted as a rich source of colorful characters and stories that could be better utilized in modern storytelling.
- 🗣️ The speaker calls for Canadians to reclaim their historical narratives, to explore and share the exciting and diverse stories that truly represent the nation's heritage.
Q & A
Why does the speaker believe Canadian history is important?
-The speaker believes Canadian history is important because it is a living, exciting, and significant part of the past that shapes the present and future. It helps define who Canadians are, their capabilities, and where they can go next.
What does the speaker suggest Canadians can learn from Americans in terms of storytelling?
-The speaker suggests that Canadians can learn from Americans' storytelling skills, particularly their ability to create myths and narratives that inspire and resonate with people, making history feel alive and important.
Why does the speaker think Canadian history is often perceived as boring?
-The speaker thinks Canadian history is often perceived as boring due to a lack of compelling storytelling and a dominant image of Canada as steady, law-abiding, and unexciting, which was perpetuated by popular culture and media.
Who is Pierre Berton and why is he significant in the context of Canadian storytelling?
-Pierre Berton was a renowned Canadian historian and writer known for his vivid storytelling about Canadian history. He is significant because his work brought color and life to historical events, making them engaging and accessible to the public.
What role did Sam Steele play during the Klondike Gold Rush according to the speaker?
-Sam Steele was the head of the Northwest Mounted Police Detachment in the Klondike during the gold rush. He played a crucial role in maintaining order and preventing potential humanitarian disasters by enforcing regulations and providing guidance to the gold seekers.
Why does the speaker argue that the Klondike Gold Rush is a significant part of Canadian history?
-The speaker argues that the Klondike Gold Rush is significant because it was a major event that attracted a large number of people and had global impact. It also showcased the role of the Northwest Mounted Police in managing the situation and preventing chaos.
What is the speaker's view on the portrayal of Canada and Canadians in popular culture?
-The speaker views the portrayal of Canada and Canadians in popular culture as often stereotypical and dull, which does not reflect the rich and exciting stories that exist in Canadian history.
What does the speaker suggest as a solution to the underrepresentation of Canadian stories in media?
-The speaker suggests that Canadians should take back the storytelling of their history and produce more content that accurately and engagingly represents their past, using modern mediums like long-form television dramas.
Why does the speaker criticize the new Klondike series being produced by Discovery Channel?
-The speaker criticizes the new Klondike series for potentially missing the mark on Canadian history by focusing on American characters and perpetuating stereotypes, rather than exploring the rich and complex stories of the actual historical event.
What is the significance of Eric Heg's photographs according to the speaker?
-Eric Heg's photographs are significant because they documented the Klondike Gold Rush in a way that had never been done before, capturing the reality and drama of the event, and contributing to the popular imagery and mythology surrounding it.
How does the speaker propose Canadians should engage with their history?
-The speaker proposes that Canadians should engage with their history by finding and telling the stories that resonate with them, using various chapters of Canadian history as a source of inspiration and national identity.
Outlines
📜 Embracing Canadian History and its Stories
The speaker introduces Canadian history, admitting that it's often seen as boring but insists it should be viewed as exciting and essential to understanding the nation’s identity. By comparing Canada to the U.S., the speaker emphasizes how Americans have mastered storytelling about their own history, making it matter globally. He argues Canadians should adopt similar narrative techniques to reenergize their connection to history and nation-building. This would help inspire a sense of importance and pride in their collective past.
🐕 The Boring Image of Canada: From Dogs to Mounties
The speaker explains how Canada’s image has often been shaped by the media, focusing on figures like the 'boring' Mountie. He reflects on the image of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon and his dog, Yukon King, highlighting that even in popular culture, Canadians have been portrayed as less exciting than their dogs. The dominant image of the law-abiding, rigid Mountie contrasted with the action-packed narratives from the U.S. has led to a perception of Canadian history as dull. Yet, the speaker points out that real Canadian historical figures, like Louis Riel and William Lyon Mackenzie King, are far from boring.
📷 The Birth of the Mountie Myth: Eric Hegg’s Photography
The speaker attributes the creation of the Mountie myth to Swedish-American photographer Eric Hegg, who documented the Klondike Gold Rush with iconic images. These photos, taken during the late 19th-century Yukon Gold Rush, helped shape the portrayal of Canada as a place of law and order, centered around the stoic Mountie. Hegg’s work, combined with the rise of mass media like newspapers and telegraphs, spread this image, which became a key part of both American and Canadian cultural stories. The Mountie, depicted as the boring yet steadfast hero, dominated pop culture representations of Canada.
🎬 The Power of Longform Storytelling and its Impact on Historical Narratives
The speaker delves into the power of longform television dramas, like 'Deadwood,' to bring historical events to life, arguing that the U.S. excels at using its history to create compelling narratives. He expresses concern that Canadian stories, such as the Klondike, are being appropriated by American storytelling, where Canadians are reduced to secondary roles. Referencing a current production about the Klondike, he emphasizes the danger of losing ownership of Canadian stories. The speaker urges Canadians to reclaim their narratives and recognize the importance of telling their own vibrant, complex historical tales.
📚 Rediscovering Canadian History Through Pierre Burton
The speaker shares a personal journey of rediscovering Canadian history while staying at Pierre Burton’s childhood home in Dawson City. He recounts how Burton’s storytelling, especially his work on the Klondike, is filled with colorful characters like 'Diamond Tooth Gertie' and 'The Evaporated Kid.' These vibrant tales demonstrate that Canadian history is far from dull. He calls attention to Sam Steele, a real-life Mountie who played a key role during the Klondike Gold Rush, suggesting that Steele’s life would make for an epic longform drama, highlighting the richness of Canada's past.
🚂 The Untold Drama of Sam Steele and Canadian History
The speaker outlines an imagined multi-season TV series about Sam Steele, a key figure in Canadian history. He envisions several seasons detailing Steele’s involvement in major events, from the Red River Rebellion to his leadership in the Klondike Gold Rush, where he helped avert humanitarian disasters. The narrative would portray Steele’s efforts to maintain law and order during chaotic times, showcasing the heroic, yet often overlooked, aspects of Canadian history. The speaker emphasizes the excitement and depth of these stories, urging Canadians to take pride in their history and reclaim their storytelling.
🇨🇦 The Call to Reclaim and Share Canadian Stories
In the final paragraph, the speaker calls on Canadians to find and tell their own historical stories. He encourages them to look beyond the clichéd images and discover the fascinating details in various chapters of Canadian history, whether it be in sports, music, or the Klondike. The speaker stresses that Canadians need to share these stories, not simply because they are Canadian, but because they are compelling and important. He ends by reminding the audience that a nation's identity is shaped by the stories it tells itself, and Canadians must not forget their rich heritage.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Canadian history
💡Mythmaking
💡Longform narrative drama
💡Klondike Gold Rush
💡Northwest Mounted Police
💡National identity
💡Popular culture
💡Eric Heg
💡Pierre Berton
💡Sam Steele
Highlights
The importance of understanding Canadian history as a living, exciting, and significant part of the past.
The idea that nations are defined by the stories they tell about themselves.
The comparison of Canadian history storytelling to the United States' mythmaking engine.
The inspiration from American figures like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk on the significance of history.
The need to capture the spirit of storytelling, not just the history itself.
The stereotype of Canada and Canadians as boring and its impact on the nation's self-perception.
The role of popular culture, particularly mass culture, in shaping the image of Canada and its history.
The influence of Eric Heg's photography on the Klondike Gold Rush and the creation of Canadian icons.
The argument that Canadian history is not boring and the examples of fascinating historical figures.
The story of Louis Riel, a rebel and visionary leader, and his impact on Canadian history.
The tale of William Lyon Mackenzie King, a prime minister who sought advice from his dogs and dead mother.
Jacques Plante's significance as a hockey player and the first goalie to wear a mask.
The potential of long-form television drama as a modern storytelling medium equivalent to the novel.
The missed opportunities in historical storytelling by American productions about Canadian history.
The call to reclaim Canadian stories and the importance of telling them accurately and engagingly.
The introduction to Pierre Berton's work and its significance in Canadian historical storytelling.
The potential storyline for a Sam Steele miniseries based on his life and contributions to Canadian history.
The conclusion that Canada has rich and colorful history that needs to be better told and celebrated.
Transcripts
thanks all right let's talk about
Canadian
history you're excited aren't you I can
feel it I can feel
that I know I know I know you're not
excited that's fine uh what I'm going to
tell you though is that you should be
excited I'm going to tell you that
Canadian history isn't as boring as you
think it is it isn't as boring as we all
think it is and not only that but it's
important that we understand that our
history is a living exciting important
time in our past because as we all know
we are the stories we tell ourselves
individually as communities as Nations
we are the stories we tell ourselves the
stories we tell ourselves about where we
are now where we came from where we're
going this tells us what we are capable
of doing this tells us where we can go
next
and if we aren't in touch with those
stories of ours it makes it a lot harder
to get that kind of kind of crazy
excitement to to to build the nation
again and start it a new and all that
kind of great stuff and I know it's
cliche when you start talking about
Canadian history to immediately switch
to the United States but I am going to
do a little bit of that because I think
there's a great lesson that the
Americans have taught us we live next to
probably the greatest mythmaking engine
in the history of human
communication absolutely and I do not
mean that as the slightest little bit of
criticism you think about that story of
the American frontier the you know the
the lone individual going out carving
out an existence and knowing that if you
made that that that existence work in
America it would matter to the whole
world everyone from you know Thomas
Edison Henry Ford all the way down to
Steve Jobs and Elon Musk inspired by
that sense that to be American was to
know that your history was important and
that if you wrote a new chapter in it it
would matter to everyone and so I think
that's the spirit we need to cap
not their history but their storytelling
skill and maybe if we can do what I'm
going to attempt to do for you this
afternoon which is to
introduce Dy old Pierre Burton to a show
called The Wire and a storytelling
medium called longform narrative drama
that I do believe is actually the the
equivalent of the novel for our time
that we might get to somewhere pretty
spectacular as a country because there
is you really really lwh hanging fruit
out there for Canadian historians and
Canadian storytellers to begin with
though I assume I can pretty much take
it for granted that we all agree that
this is our general sense of
ourselves uh it is practically on the
the the welcome signs you know sorry
sorry we're boring uh you know there was
the Cod were very important and wheat
was very important logs but other than
that peace order and good government not
a lot happened sorry sorry our history
isn't better uh uh we'll try to try
we'll try harder next
time but ask yourself why do we think
that's the case I would argue a large
part of it is because when it came to
popular culture particularly mass
culture this was the dominant image of
Canada the straight laac
steadfast very very Stout law-abiding
mounty and if that isn't an exciting
story Sergeant Preston of the Yukon uh
you great radio hit of the 30s and 40s
eventually a TV hit the real star of
Sergeant Preston was not the mounty it
was in fact Yukon King his loyal sled
dog and there's a there's a slogan for
you Canadians we're less interesting
than our dogs
uh there's a real Banner to fly Dudley
doite it's a yawn of a name the name
actually makes you yawn to say out loud
Dudley do
right and why was this the dominant
image how was it that we came to think
and by the way it's not just these old
stories I I I wouldn't want to suggest
that we've moved on in 50 years we've
still got the same Sergeant Preston and
the same dog and he goes down to the
United States cuz that's where
interesting things are
happening and he's very straight laced
and boring and and all that where did
this come from you know how is it
particularly given that our history is
not a boring history we been some
amazing figures I'm going to just really
quickly rattle off three Lou Ral a rebel
Visionary leader a guy who was elected
to Parliament three times while living
in Exile and then went into a church in
Washington DC and heard God tell him him
you are the prophet of the new world and
spent the rest of his life dedicated to
making that true building a matey nation
in western Canada until he was executed
is that a boring story do we tell that
story enough William lion McKenzie King
prime minister of Canada during a Great
Depression in a world war all the while
getting serious policy advice from his
dogs and his dead
mother tell me that is not a great
literary
figure jacqu
plant do I need to say anymore is hockey
a boring sport was Jac plunt not only a
great goalie but the first goalie to
wear a mask a boring figure of course
not these are not boring figures this is
not a boring history how is it that we
came to think of it as such who's
responsible the answer is this guy this
one guy not really this one guy but he
is actually a big part of this this is a
gentleman by the name of Eric ahg Eric
ah heg was a uh Swedish immigrant to the
United States in the 1880s had a a a
burgeoning photography business brand
new very exciting medium and in 1897
like a lot of young men of his
generation got swept up in the
excitement of the kondy Gold Rush
traveled up the coast through Alaska to
to to the Yukon Territory set up a a
photography studio in in Dawson City and
documented the greatest Gold Rush of its
time and Eric a he brought back
incredible iconic images that had never
existed before of what it looked like
one to be in the Yukon and two to be in
the midst of a gold rush this is the
chilcoot pass this is one of the ways
you could get over the mountains into
the Yukon Territory from the Alaska
Coast an incredible deep moving drama of
of of you know human motion and human
desperation uh among other things it was
known as the Dead Horse Trail because
people kept arriving with horses that
couldn't survive this particular uh uh
environment and Eric K brought all of
these images back and he did so at a
time that really was the first kind of
mass media gold rush gold rushes had
always been a big deal but never had
they been so widely disseminated the
telegraph became WID spread in the 1880s
so did The Illustrated newspaper you now
had photography right in the newspapers
and you had printing presses that could
print papers uh with with illustrations
in them just as quickly as text and so
suddenly it wasn't just this thing
happening far off it was visceral it was
real it was Lively and it invented a
whole mythology because it was the first
one to ever have these tools at its
disposal and among other things it
invented the idea because the kond dite
Gold Rush was about 40 or 50,000 mostly
American young men
and some women uh arriving at a
Northwest Mounted Police Frontier Post
in the middle of the Northwest Territory
and there you have your steadfast mounty
and their loyal sled dog this is where
that image came from this is an Eric heg
photo this is where it permeated into
the pop culture and from there it
disseminated in that amazing way that
only America can disseminate a great
myth from Charlie Chaplain to Bugs Bunny
to ice cream bars clondike the name the
Klondike Gold Rush as a phenomenon came
to become one more chapter in that great
American frontier story with the one
exception that it had this very very
dull figure at its Center who was a a
steadfast law-abiding mounty who made
things difficult for the funloving shoot
him up Roo and tooting uh Blackjack
shocks of of the
kondik and I think it's important to to
recognize that this is where a lot of
our stories come to us now particularly
now because as I said off the top I
believe we are living in a true golden
age for a truly novel medium which is
the long form television drama this is
basically like a novel on the screen it
has freed up writers and creators to
tell these big long stories you don't
have to wrap it up in 45 minutes you
don't even have to wrap it up in two
hours you can go season after season
Deadwood is a great example what does
America do when it creates these great
storytelling tools immediately goes back
to its past starts digging through for
great old detail there is nothing
more alive in the historical record than
the three seasons of Deadwood when
you're done you feel like you've been
there you feel like you lived there
you've learned a whole new language are
there any hoopleheads in the room I'm
just just wondering uh a couple of
hoopleheads out there that's good to see
and this really is an amazing time to be
telling stories particularly historic
stories and really because Americans
know their stories and they know their
myth so well I would argue they permeate
just about all of these great novelistic
uh long form dramas all of these to one
degree or another
our Frontier stories that that myth
continues to propel American
storytelling you can put the frontier
Justice in the middle of downtown
Baltimore and you still have some of the
same iconic resonant figures you can put
it in a New Jersey mob uh uh scenario
and it still resonates and you can put
it amid the desperation of the deep
Southwest and every time you are still
telling great Frontier stories and we
are in danger yet again of having our
Frontier stories handed To Us by the
United States this is the set of the new
Klondike series being shot as we speak
in Alberta by Discovery Channel and
Ridley Scotts production company uh
largely focused on American characters
hunting for gold they built a scale
model uh uh Dawson City downtown up near
Brad Creek that I went and took a look
at and you can see as soon as you walk
on the set if you've got the right eye
how they're going to miss the Mark again
the Canadians are just going to be
totally forgotten we're going to be the
boring old mounties here's the great
example of it I haven't seen the show
maybe they'll correct this in in in
edits but what you see in the foreground
there is a box of Winchester rifles
which is unless there's a story I didn't
get told a huge
anacronismo of Dan mcru could not have
possibly happened at the malamut Saloon
no one had guns in Dawson City it was
not that story that story got handed to
us and is now being handed to us again
and I think it's a story that we really
need need to take back I think we need
to take a lot of our stories back
because one they're great stories and
two they really tell us something about
who we are and now I'll
confess I did not always feel this way I
studied history in
University and what history did I study
I studied mostly American history it's
true I studied the Vietnam War asked me
about Labor Relations in the 1920s and
1930s in the United United States I'm on
it ask me about Dawson City and where it
came from from and it wasn't until I was
there and spent a winter there and felt
the history I mean it's just this
Fountain of incredible stories that I
realized we need to be you know
recapturing some of these myths and of
course I was in the perfect place to do
it I was at Burton house uh Burton house
is Pierre Burton's childhood home uh
Pier Burton gifted it back to this to
Dawson City and eventually got turned
into a writer's residence magnificent
place to spend a Yukon winter there's a
fantastic Library there and that was how
I reintroduced myself to Pierre Burt now
Pier Burton for some of my age anyway
was this kind of weird old guy on front
page
challenge who you weren't really sure
why he was even famous but he was always
around with very alarming
sideburns and it was only when I dug
back into some of the great stories that
he had told Pierre Burton's Klondike is
so overflowing with color this is just a
random sampling of character names that
you will meet on the pages of Pier
Burton's kondic diamond tooth Gertie
Sweetwater Bill ham grease Jimmy and my
very favorite the evaporated kid the
evaporated kid was a was a young boy who
who who worked in one of the saloons and
they said he was so small he looked like
a bottle with hips and that's why an
empty bottle with hips that's why they
called him the evaporated kid but you
know who the really great star of that
book is one of the greatest literary
figures I've encountered in a long time
Sam steel the model of the steadfast
mountainy Sam steel was the head of the
thank you round pluse for Sam steel Sam
steel was the the head of the Northwest
Mounted Police Detachment in the
Klondike during the gold rush and Sam
steel is just waiting for a five season
long Arc detailed drama because this is
not a boring guy I'm going to lay it out
for you season one Sam steel arrives in
Canada joins the military participates
in the Red River Rebellion face to face
with Louis Ral and and the first wave of
of of uh matey dissatisfaction he then
joins the brand new Northwest Mounted
Police and is involved in the Northwest
Rebellion the second shot at at Louis
roal incredible drama happening really
just an amazing chapter at the exact
same time as this young mounty is help
helping to deal with the uh uh Rebellion
we laying tracks crazily across this
empty continent and one of the great
drama atic kind of rail Building stories
towns springing up overnight as people
speculated on land just a huge teeing
chapter in our in in our history that we
barely ever talk about so that's that's
season two of the Sam steel miniseries
uh uh season three finally we come as we
knew we would to the Klondike in that
winter of
1997 50,000 men descending on the
Klondike none of them aware of the kind
of conditions they were going to
encounter it was Sam steel another
Northwest mounted policeman who said you
can't get into Canada if you do not have
a ton of goods to support you through
this winter they also in an emergency
measure sent a bunch of people back up
the river on a steamboat to Alaska to
avoid what would have been an absolute
catastrophe a humanitarian catastrophe
in that first winter of 1897 and then we
finally uh get to the spring of 1898 and
there is this crazy flotilla of homemade
ships thousands and thousands of ships
roaring down what is a very very
dangerous river and it was only the
Northwest Mounted Police that kept that
from becoming a disaster as well by
setting up checkpoints all along the way
making sure that people could actually
get to their destination this isn't as
exciting as Six Guns I admit but it was
an heroic effort that saved an awful lot
of lives finally in season 4 we come to
the Boom Town 1898 in Dawson just an
incredible scene everyone was there it
was the talk of the world it was the
Parish of the north incredible detail
and Sam steel the guy making sure that
it didn't turn to Absolute chaos all the
way through and then almost we we could
keep going season five hey Sam steel
decides to go fight in the boore war
there he is with a bunch of other
steadfast mounties heading off we could
keep going and going and going but the
point is clearly we have amazing color
in our history we have amazing detail
there is a character to men like Sam
steel that is not simply a dull old
mounty that is in in fact deeply
Canadian deeply about collaboration and
getting through and making this country
work whoever happens to show up and I
think we need to tell those stories we
need to take some of these iconic images
like the ones that Eric Eric heg brought
back and start telling those stories to
each other I would challenge you find
your favorite chapter in Canadian
history whether it could be anything it
could be Montreal Jazz in the 50s it
could be you know the early history of
hockey it could be the Klondike and
examine that find those stories and
start telling them because we are the
stories we tell each other don't tell
these stories because they're Canadian
tell them because there are so many
Great Canadian stories and we are not
telling them enough and we are in danger
of forgetting where it is that we came
from thank you
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