In the year 1967, Canada officially came into being with the federation of four eastern provinces. The year 1967 marked the 100th anniversary of the Proclamation of the British North America Act which gave birth to Canada, and Canadians from every walk of life organized all kinds of special events to honour that occasion.
In 1965, Yves Theriault, the director of cultural programs for the Department of Indian Affairs, was developing the concept for the Indian Pavilion at the Expo. The Pavilion, for Duke, was a symbol of the modern Indian in Canada, and as Vice-President of the National Indian Council, he began to work for Indian control over the project.
“All the money for the Expo ‘67 project had to come from the government and so the government had us hamstrung. The Centennial Commission refused to allow the National Indian Council to develop the Pavilion and they took it over themselves. They just didn’t believe that we had the ability to pull it off. I thought we did.”
- Duke , 1968
In the years leading up to the Centennial, Duke educated the public and spoke to newspapers about the significance and importance of allowing the Indigenous community to have influence over their own Pavilion at the Expo. It was because of his insistence and ability to attract attention for the Indian plight in the mass media that allowed the Indigenous community to have creative over its own Pavilion.
Once it was decided that there would be a stand alone Indian Pavilion as a part of expo ‘67, Duke was commissioned to write a poem to help inspire the architecture. The poem would lay the groundwork for the body of creative expression that followed in the Indian Pavilion.
In the midst of Centennial celebrations, the Indian Pavilion resisted Canada's familiar, comfortable story. Its impacts on Canada-Indigenous relations, the art world and the people who attended and participated still linger to this day.
The Canadian Encyclopedia calls the event the highlight of Canada's Centennial celebrations in 1967. They claim that the "Universal and International Exhibition," was the most successful world fair of the 20th Century.” The Indian Pavilion was one of many exhibitions from 62 countries and 70 private exhibitors, but the depth of its expression and candid statement about the Indigenous People’s feelings aspirations made it stand apart from the rest.
Take a tour of the Indian Pavilion of Expo ‘67
“When the white man came, we welcomed him with love, we sheltered him, fed him, led him through the forest. The great explorers of Canada traveled in Indian canoes, wore Indian snowshoes, ate Indian food, and lived in Indian houses. They could not have lived without Indian friends.”
“The early missionaries thought us pagans, they imposed upon us their own stories of God, of heaven and hell, of sin and salvation. But we spoke with God, the Great Spirit in our own way. We lived with each other in love and honoured the holy spirit in all living things.”
“The white men fought each other for our land and we were embroiled in the white man’s war.”
Expo ‘67 is a perfect example of how the media and governments have muffled the expression of Indigenous Culture, expression and art. The Indian Pavilion at the Expo was by many accounts considered to be one of the better ones because it presented a candid, uninhibited statement about a people’s feelings and aspirations, yet today, accurate information about the Indian Pavilion has been buried because it’s message is not in alignment with the government’s interest in representing a positive relationship between the Indigenous nations and the administrations in power.
This brief video put together by Historica Canada & The Canadian Encyclopedia, neither features nor mentions the Indigenous community or the Indian Pavilion that was such a large part of the the Expo ‘67 event.
Excerpt taken from
The People of Indian Ancestry In Canada
Secretary of State, Canada 1968
“From the time the initial steps were taken to have a World Exposition in Montreal, Indian people in Canada, through various means and avenues, expressed their desire to have a pavilion of their own that would represent their views, their aspirations, their goals, as they themselves saw and felt them. Indians sought to have a special pavilion wherein their story could be told.
A group of Indian artists were invited to submit ideas and sketches for the overall design of the pavilion. The building took the shape of a stylized teepee, the traditional conical plains dwelling. Different Indian artists were retained to execute the three exterior murals of welcome and the fine circular murals on the interior of the pavilion. A totem pole from British Columbia was placed in front of the pavilion while artifacts of different tribes decorated the interior.
Official Publication of the Government of Canada
A series of meetings were held in various parts of the country to solicit Indian people’s views as to what they would want to say through the pavilion, to the people of Canada and the world through Expo ‘67. The result was a presentation which could have struck a respondent cord with the Indigenous peoples throughout the world. It started with the way the land was, the birds, the animals, and then the people, their values, their philosophy.
For example, “every person was a brother in spirit and each had the right to be heard with respect around the council fire. Each person needed another for his food, his shelter, or his honour. Each had a right and a duty to share with his brother.” The next phase depicted the coming of the European to Canada: “During his thousands of years of existence on this continent, the Indian had no doubt thought of himself as the only human being. Then, a much paler man came. He loved the man. Understanding and communion with people, that is what he had to offer. There was not such thing as an Indian. He was only a man with love.” On the treaties: “for the Indians, treaties were less a legal instrument than an act of trust. Few could read English or French… He understands how to pledge his honour but he could not sign his name. He was certainly not in a position to judge whether these contracts were equitable either for himself or his posterity.”
The storyline then moves to the present and refers to religion, government, reserves, work life and education and the effects of these on the life of Indian people. As this theme projects into the future one senses that Canadian Indians have a vision of an Indian society which would combine the best of Indian and European civilizations. North American technology paired with traditional Indian philosophy and moral values: “He is grasping the future with one hand while with the other he is holding on to the values he wants to keep from his past. If he is going to adapt successfully to modern life, he will have to pull as hard with one hand as with the other. In effect, to participate in the mass technology of the modern age while preserving his personal integrity and the virtues of his fathers.
The pavilion was regarded as one of the better ones at Expo ‘67 because it presented a candid uninhibited statement about a people’s feelings and aspirations.”
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