Canada Indigenous People
I lost a bid at an auction. It was on an old vintage board game that I thought was somewhat different and looked interesting. After reading the instructions on the label, I noticed the HISTORY and the significance of this family game. This board game was printed and distributed by the Government of Ontario, Canada, around the 1930’s.
This kid’s or family vintage board game looks harmless enough but it had a wider mentality and thinking. The implications on Canada’s Dark past as a whole and how people thought then and unfortunately some still think today, was printed for all to see.
Canada’s Dark Past Printed on a Board Game
Like I said, this Vintage Transportation Board Game was put out by the Ontario Transportation Department and the first paragraph reads like this:
“Directed to the players”
- If you study it carefully (board game) you will learn that a walk along the road from school to your home is a quite thrilling and dangerous adventure as was the early explorations of this province.
“There Are No “Redskins” Lurking Behind the Trees Or Rocks To Take Your Scalp”
“This is the start of my story of Canada Dark Past”
So I lost the bid on a Vintage Kids Board Game and Part of Canada’s Dark Past.
The winning bidder at this auction bought the old game board just because he collects old puzzles, games and the likes. He didn’t even read the advertising on the box and didn’t care where it came from, “it was old” he said. That’s was all he was concerned with.
Canada’s Dark Past Vintage Board Game
vintage board game instructions with a dark past
I walked over to him after the auction and declared I was the other bidder and congratulated him on his unique find, and also mentioned the dark history of the item he just bought.
I wanted it because it was old. Then I said he should read all the instructions and he might think differently.
I don’t know how many of these games were made or how many are still out there. These cardboard games were meant to be played with and very few items like these survive outside that period of time.
Vintage Board Game
Canada, as a whole, is not old. The more I get into antiques and collectibles, and the more research and information I obtain, I find that we don’t go back further than a few hundred years and not thousands like in Europe or other parts of the world.
Now I do remember all this information from grade school, but at the time it didn’t have the same significance that it has now.
It’s hard to find something that’s really old and makes a big difference to all antique enthusiasts. Collectibles I find relatively easy to spot because collectibles could be any age or anything.
Canada is not perfect. We, like all countries, have flaws and shady little secrets, but Canada has a Dark Past that will haunt us for a long time.
I guess my point would be, it’s not antiques or collectibles I’m talking about.
It’s part of Canada’s dark history that should never be repeated.
In the 20th century we were an English Colony and still, today, somewhat governed by England, pushed around by the US, educated by US books, and we have a little of the US idealism and thinking. Our faith overall up till then was Catholic, and the Church had all the say in what our beliefs should be.
Now that on its own is not too much to dwell on except we have not been away from that governing mentality for very long. If you think in terms of counting years, a few hundred years is not a long time at all.
- Canada is still being influenced by the United States today, but that, well that’s Canada’s fault, and that’s another story.
But having said that, there was a fun family board game (like the tick, tack, toe game of the early years) This Canadian board game goes back to the 1930s, and was brought out by the Province of Ontario, Canada’s traffic division.
Vintage Board Game
After reading the label, that in itself is something to think about. At the time, when Canada was a new and young nation, I believe we needed assistance from all outside governing bodies, and like I said, we leaned heavily on the US and the Church for guidance.
As a young person, I remember all the nurses in a Catholic-run Hospital were mostly nuns. The Catholic Schools were all taught by nuns, under the Catholic faith and influenced by the Catholic Church. The orphanages and residential schools were mostly run by the church with the Canadian government’s blessing.
The Aboriginals (Indigenous people) were deemed unworthy of being called Canadians were removed from their homes and put in separate schools to be “rehabilitated” into the white man’s society. They were mostly like I said, run by the Catholic Church.
Even though Canada sanctioned all these past atrocities, where is the Catholic Church, or the influence of the US, or even our British Commonwealth partner? They had a complete influence on how Canada’s world was shaped back then and how Canadian people were steered.
Are they standing up to the plate and apologizing to the Indigenous People of Canada for their part in the crimes done in Canada’s dark history? I feel they should, or at least publicly recognize that they had a say in these dark times.
But in my opinion, Canada was self-governed on paper, “but not really”
Canada’s Prime Ministers, on many occasions, apologized to the Indigenous People and Canada, will be paying restitution for misdeeds done by mostly outside influences, for a long time to come.
Canada is ready to open for Business
Did I mention (Indigenous People) have been here for thousands of years and that would classify them as the first real Canadian’s? Eh!
- But I still have to wonder, where are the other governing bodies that swayed the Canadian government and its people in the direction Canada took?
This brings us back to this “FUN” Canadian board game, A lot of soul searching went on when reading that label and was a reminder of Canada’s Black History with the Indigenous community.
The label is here as displayed in the photo. It was a transportation game with roads and stop signs. If it wasn’t for the advertising, it could have been a fun family game to play.
- This post is not written with the intent to rub dirt in a wound. It probably wasn’t what I read on the label, it was more the peoples’ thinking back then. It’s part of Canada’s past history that I believe had outside influences that swayed the direction that was taken.
But on a lighter note, “Another day at the auction” with a board game with a “Lot of history” I lost the bid, thanks for asking, but I will share the picture of the board game.
“This is my own personal view and should be read as such” but the “board game, was real”.
