Words matter, and so does representation: Why renaming things is significant
Newfoundland and Labrador has renamed a lake and a museum, and reworded the coat of arms. So what’s next?
Times change … and sometimes names and preferred phrasings do too.
So too do the symbols in our midst.
To that end, the Newfoundland and Labrador government is in the midst of what it calls a review of cultural symbols, observances and monuments — some of which it acknowledges are racist. colonial and derogatory to Indigenous people.
For instance, the government last year moved to make changes to its coat of arms, which dates from 1637. Until last November, the legislation for it referred to two standing Beothuk men as "savages."
Similarly, the government is no longer calling June 24 "Discovery Day," and has renamed Red Indian Lake in central Newfoundland as Beothuk Lake.
But there's more to come. In an age of reconciliation, other familiar names, places, statues and artworks are also being reconsidered.
One of them is the Colonial Building, the seat of power in Newfoundland for more than a century.
Such topics can be touchy but also timely, given that, for instance, Prince Charles and Camilla are scheduled to make a royal visit that starts Tuesday in St. John's.
To shed some light about this, CBC asked Salome Barker, a Mi'kmaw settler from Grand Falls-Windsor (Ktaqmkuk), to bring an Indigenous lens to some complex issues — and some difficult conversations playing out across Newfoundland and Labrador.
WATCH ABOVE | Salome Barker looks at why Newfoundland and Labrador is renaming places and things, and why representation matters.
Video produced by Zach Goudie.
