OrilliaMatters received the following letter from Meegan Scanlon on the future of the Champlain Monument, which was removed for refurbishing. Its return has been delayed so a working group can recommend a 'path forward.'
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Much like what has been echoing all across North America, our community has been having a difficult but needed conversation.
People are grappling with what to do with their historical statues which represent outdated but still historically accurate views of our world from the periods they were made in.
In a time when Canadians are waking up to the power of the messages these statues have and realizing that what was created out of awe and respect all those years ago need not be held onto with gripped hands in a time when perspectives and understandings have changed.
The Champlain monument is a great example of this. A beautiful piece of art with an unbeautiful underlying message that is made more powerful by one word: monument.
A monument can be art, but art is not, on its own a monument.
A monument is looked at as a representation of people, events and places that are held in reverence by a society. The Champlain monument is an unbelievably strong piece of art, but if we are a Canada that is moving towards reconciliation, in its original state it can no longer be a monument.
There are many who have concerns about making changes or removing the monument. There is value in historical art, it reflects society’s development and can provide inspiration for conversations about difficult topics.
But at what cost are we willing to trade saving art against the direct offence and belittling of people who are our friends and neighbours? We have to ask ourselves if this is the best way to inspire these conversations?
This statue normalizes past views of some people being less than and having less to offer than others and by doing so downplays the effects that our joint history has had on behaviours of today.
It is the lower portions of the monument that have the most power to reinforce outdated and negative views of Indigenous peoples. The key here is that you don’t have to know the history to receive these messages of “Indians” sitting lower and looking up to the white hunter on one side and the passionate missionary on the other.
Technically, this monument was supposed to be more about French and English relations than anything else. The indigenous people are more of a sub-text, and certainly not being sold as partners in the development of our area.
If it were ever a partnership, maybe even one of the indigenous men would be standing, but that was never the intention of the statue.
History was once again white washed, looking to portray what white settlers wished the world was, not the reality. Because really, as we start to accept how history actually played out, and I know it is not comfortable and it will not be easy, but we will understand the strong impacts this skewed ‘history’ has on today.
Maybe it is time to move it to a museum. In a museum, it comes with it an understanding that it represents past beliefs and views, where we were once while still providing opportunities for conversation.
Art in public spaces is generally seen as a representation of current views and beliefs. Context is important.
Most people’s views are still based on the education they received growing up.
With the underlying themes being that Europeans modernized these local people’s lives and for that they should be grateful. And any past wrong doings are ancient history with no impact on today. The imagery on the monument just works to re-enforce this.
The problem is that the issues aren’t ancient history, it is today’s culture that has been built on a foundation that was created by these early views that the ‘Indians’ were less human and less evolved, a people in need of saving.
This is the time to speak out while things are still in motion and the currents of change are in our favour. Our voices may not be in unison on the issue, and there may not be a perfect solution, but we can’t ignore the power of the message (no matter how beautifully sculpted it is) that this monument is presenting to the world.
One day this, too, will become our joint history, and I would like to see it reflect a time of reconciliation, where we fought for our future and not that we wouldn’t let go of the past.
Meegan Scanlon
Orillia
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