page_title: Canadian Museum of History
section_title: First Peoples Hall
hierarchical_section_title: Canadian Museum of History / Exhibition galleries / First Peoples Hall
caption_attribution_description: English: Spirit of Haida Gwaii, plaster original, by Bill Reid, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec
context_page_description: The Canadian Museum of History is Canada's national museum of human history. It is located in the Hull area of Gatineau, Quebec, directly across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The museum's primary purpose is to collect, study, preserve, and present material objects that illuminate the human history of Canada and the cultural diversity of its people. Formerly the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the name of the museum was changed in 2013 to the Canadian Museum of History.
context_section_description: Also on the Museum's first level, this permanent exhibition narrates the history and accomplishments of Indigenous peoples in Canada from their original habitation of North America to the present day. It explores the diversity of the First Peoples, their interactions with the land, and their on-going contributions to society. The Hall is the result of a groundbreaking, intensive collaboration that occurred between museum curators and First Peoples representatives during the planning stages.
  Chronicling 20,000 years of history, the hall is separated into three larger zones:
  "An Aboriginal Presence" looks at Aboriginal cultural diversity, achievements and prehistoric settlement of North America. Included are traditional stories about creation and other phenomena told by Aboriginal people such as Mi'kmaq Hereditary Chief Stephen Augustine who recounts the beginning of the world in the Creation Stories Theatre film.
  "An Ancient Bond with the Land" examines the relationship between Aboriginal Peoples and the natural world.
  "Arrival of Strangers - The Last 500 Years" examines Aboriginal history from the time of European contact to today. It examines early relations, the Métis, the clash of Christianity and Aboriginal beliefs, intergovernmental relations, the introduction of a wage economy, and post-World War II political and legal affirmation and civil rights. It also features a ten-minute video about sustaining Aboriginal culture, and introduces visitors to Native art.
caption: Spirit of Haida Gwaii, plaster original
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