Cabot 500 celebrations dispel discovery notion

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It's not about discovery. That's the message that Doug Burgess, a spokesman for the Cabot 500 Anniversary Celebrations, wanted to make absolutely clear.

"The word 'discovery' is a bone of contention with Aboriginal people," he said. The celebrations were never about discovery.

"We're celebrating the 500th anniversary of the arrival of an Italian explorer, Giovanni Caboto, who is now known as John Cabot," continued Burgess. "The celebrations haven't been saying that Cabot discovered North America. We've been referring to this as a landfall and arrival. From the celebrations' perspective, this is the event that led to the evolution of Canada as it is today."

Unfortunately, celebrating Cabot's landfall hasn't been the way to go for Katie Rich, president of the Innu Nation. She's calling for Aboriginal leaders to demonstrate at Bonavista, 160 km north of St. John's, Nfld. on June 24. It's on that date that a replica of Cabot's ship, The Matthew, will enter the port that is traditionally considered the spot where he first landed in Newfoundland. A number of dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, plus media from around the world will be there.

The nature of the demonstration remain unclear, but Rich was quoted in the media as saying there's nothing to celebrate because Aboriginal people have inhabited Newfoundland for thousands of years.

Her calls for a demonstration, however, have received a lukewarm response from other Aboriginal groups in Newfoundland. The Labrador Inuit Association won't be participating in the celebrations, but they won't be demonstrating against them either. The Conne River Micmacs are also not interested in demonstrating.

"It is an issue for us," said Rembert Jeddore, a vice-chief from Conne River. "We had a show at the cultural centre in St. John's. We're doing our own thing: promoting our culture through powwows [and] letting people know who we are. We're definitely keeping it low-key."

But it's that kind of participation that Burgess would love to have, because the celebrations are also about Aboriginal people.

"Overtures were made to the Aboriginal people of Newfoundland and Labrador to take part. Efforts were made to integrate them into the mainstream celebrations," said Burgess. "A part of our heritage is our Aboriginal culture.

"We have no problem with a strong Aboriginal presence at the landfall ceremony. It's an opportunity to send out a message of a very strong [and] constructive nature," he continued.

He also stressed again that the theme was not discovery, but a significant event in the history of North America.

"The Cabot celebration has seen this as a huge opportunity to put this in an historical context - how can one man discover land inhabited by others for thousands of years?" Burgess asked.

"Let's go back to the history texts we were raised with. They would say 'John Cabot discovered Newfoundland in 1497.' If we're going to progress as a society we have to realize what was written wasn't correct," he continued. "Cabot's arrival was just an arrival."

There have been, however, discovery themes around Newfoundland and Labrador that have not been part of the official Cabot 500 celebrations.

"Mass media and advertising have a stronger impression. It's difficult to compete with advertisers who put forward the discovery notion," said Burgess. "It's all part of the education process about who was living in Canada before Cabot arrived. It's a little disappointing that the discovery notion has taken hold."

Two symposiums have been put together that allow Aboriginal people to put forth their perspective on their own terms about life before Cabot's arrival and the impact of his arrival. Even the extinction of the Beothuk, a group of people that were decimated after the arrival of Europeans, is addressed.

"We're not skirting that issue," said Burgess.