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Current Events & Canadian Nationalism: The HMS Erebus

*Textbook Resources: Chapter 2

Name: __________________

Date: _________________

1) Listen to the following podcast from hosts Holly & Tracy at Missed in
History.

Feel free to stop the podcast as needed to jot down notes.

This should take you ~30 minutes. You may work with a partner.

Access:
http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/unearthed-franklins-lostexpedition/
OR
go to missedinhistory.com and search Franklin Expedition
Notes:
Original Episode
What did Franklin know was his lifes calling, even from a young age?

What was Franklin searching for on his Arctic expedition?

Who last sighted the expedition? When?

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What were the names of the two ships that were part of the Franklin
Expedition? What happened to them that made them winter in the
arctic for two years in a row?

When did Franklin die? Why was this so disastrous for the rest of the
men?

What are the two possible causes of the lead poisoning the men
suffered?

Why would the men have scurvy?

The local Inuit population couldnt help the Franklin Expedition. Why?

A note from the expedition was found in a pile of stones. What did it
say?

Episode Update
When did the most recent effort to find Franklins lost ships begin? Who
lead this effort?

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On what date was the HMS Erebus found?

Which piece of Canadian-made technology was a huge part of the ship

being found?

The discovery lines up with Inuit oral tradition. What does this mean?

2) Read the following pages in your textbook:

20-1

20-2

Now, read the following article from Steven Chase at The Globe & Mail.
Then, answer the questions that follow.

Finding of Franklin ship fuels

Harpers new nationalism
STEVEN CHASE
OTTAWA The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Sep. 09, 2014 10:09PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2014 10:10AM EDT

Mr. Harper, whose government has promoted and funded the search for the
Franklin wrecks, took it upon himself to personally announce the discovery
Tuesday at a photo opportunity in Ottawa. The Prime Minister, who has
styled his government a defender of Ottawas claim to the Arctic, described
the expedition as having laid the foundation for Canadian sovereignty in the
region.

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He proclaimed the find

of the Royal Navy ship
a historic moment for
Canada, noting public
interest in the fate of
vessels that were
trying to traverse what
is now Canadas prized
Northwest Passage has
captivated
generations.
For more than a
century this has been a great Canadian story, a mystery; its been the
subject of scientists and historians, writers and singers, Mr. Harper said.
Victorian England was enthralled by the story of Sir John Franklins
expedition, which failed after vessels were frozen in ice and crews perished.
Successive British recovery missions failed to find the ships but managed to
chart significant portions of the Arctic a legacy that benefited Canadians
for years to come.
Since 2008, six searches led by Parks Canada have scoured hundreds of
square kilometres of Arctic seabed, a hunt driven by what a senior Tory
called Mr. Harpers genuine, nerdy interest in the romantic story but also a
desire to engage in conservative-minded myth-making that might capture
the imagination of Canadians.
Arctic experts say theyre not sure they understand Mr. Harpers claim that
the Franklin expedition helped lay the basis for Canadian sovereignty in the
region. These two British naval ships were lost decades before Confederation
and the most relevant sovereignty question today whether the Northwest
Passage is an international waterway doesnt have much to do with this.

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This myth just had another chapter added, Rob Huebert, associate director
of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary,
said on Tuesday of the Franklin discovery.
Mr. Huebert said hes happy the find will help raise Canadian interest in the
Arctic, but he advises that every time the government uses the phrase
Canadian sovereignty, listeners should substitute the word nationalism
instead.
Like leaders before him, Mr. Harper is trying to put his own stamp on
Canadian values attempting to rework the national myth from one built on
Liberal policies to one shaped by Conservatives. Hes long been bothered by
the fact the rival Liberals owned the flag when it came to Canadas political
identity a land of peacekeepers, generous social programs etc. and is
determined to change that. Hes also convinced a country that absorbs
immigrants at such a fast rate needs a compelling series of narratives to
stay united, sources say.
The Tory Leaders effort to build a new national identity since 2006 has
included a heavy emphasis on Canadas military exploits, the bicentennial
promotion of the War of 1812 as the fight for Canada, nine successive
summer trips to the countrys North and talk of claiming the geographic
North Pole for Ottawa.
The Franklin find is a clear victory for Mr. Harper . . .
Mr. Harper is not one for grand gestures, but he does like to walk tall in the
Arctic for the TV cameras during annual northern tours. He has stood atop a
submarine as jets roared overhead, sat in a fighter cockpit and fired a rifle as
part of a military exercise. . .
Those who know Mr. Harper say his fascination with Franklin is authentic.
Sure, it fits the northern narrative and his sense that Canada ought to
nurture its myths and legends in order to build our sense of nationhood, a

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source said. However, a large part of it is the genuine interest of a student

of history.
According to a 1997 deal between Britain and Canada, Canada is granted
custody and control of the Franklin wrecks and their contents and will be
granted ownership of much of what is recovered. . .
Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/finding-of-franklin-ship-fuels-harpers-newnationalism/article20508270/

Questions:
What are two reasons why the lost Franklin Expedition ships are not
good symbols of Canadian nationalism and arctic sovereignty?

The article lists four ways Stephen Harper has been trying to build a
new national identity since 2006. List them below. Do you think these
efforts have been successful? Why or why not?

For many years, the British worldview was dominant in Canadian

society. Does Stephen Harpers idea of Canadian nationalism, in
relation to the discovery of the HMS Erebus, allow the perspectives of
other groups in our current, multicultural country to contribute to
nationalism? Or, is it a return to a dominant British perspective? Why?

3) Read the following pages in your textbook:

20-1

20-2

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Now, read the following article from the Aboriginal Peoples Television
Network. Then, answer the questions that follow.

PMO downplayed rich Inuit link to

discovered Franklin ship
Featured, National News | September 11, 2014 by APTN National News | 0 Comments

By Jorge Barrera
APTN National News
The Franklin expedition ship found by
researchers on the Arctic seabed has a
detailed and colourful history within Inuit
oral tradition, yet the Inuit garnered only
one 17-word sentence among the press
releases and backgrounders released by the
Prime Ministers Office at the time after Tuesdays announced discovery.
An analysis of ice patterns and movements reveals the wreck was likely
pushed from the area where Inuit said they initially found the ship to where
Canadian researchers discovered it over a century later, said Tom Zagon, a
research scientist with the Canadian Ice Service.
We can see the natural drift of ice actually occurs and supports the Inuit
oral history, said Zagon, during a press conference Wednesday.
Ryan Harris, the Parks Canada marine archeologist who led the ships
search, said both Franklin ships, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, appear in the
oral tradition. The Inuit, however, provided a more detailed description of
one ship said to have been found south of King William Island off Grant Point

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on the Adelaide Peninsula in an area known as Ootloo-lik the place of the

bearded seal.
Harris said this was the shipwreck discovered by his search team.
The information that was gleaned from the Inuit with respect to that
second, southern vessel is far more detailed and nuanced, he said. For
that reason, we, like previous searchers, started in the south in the belief
that the information was a bit more informative and its quite detailed with
reports of the vessel there when it was first identified by the Inuit. They were
ultimately able to visit the ship and obtained useful material from the ship.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the discovery of the submerged
shipwreck Tuesday. The hunt for the Franklin ships, which were last seen by
European eyes in 1845, has been a priority for the Harper government. Parks
Canada led six searches for the ships since 2008.
Yet, the general public wouldnt know about the key role Inuit oral history
played in the selection of the search area by reading the information posted
on the PMOs website. There, the role of the Inuit in the Franklin saga is
mentioned only in passing.
Indeed, except for some encounters with the Inuit, the crews of the vessels
were never seen again, said the historical backgrounder on the PMOs
website, which is also available in the Inuit language of Inuktitut.
The PMO did not respond to an APTN National News question on why the
Inuit received barely a mention.
According to the historical record, the Inuit provided several detailed
accounts of their encounter with the wrecked ship south of King William
Island to 19th Century and early 20th Century explorers who went searching
for the ill-fated Franklin expedition and its two lost ships. . .
Source: http://aptn.ca/news/2014/09/11/pmo-downplays-rich-inuit-link-discovered-franklin-ship/

Questions:

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What is the effect of the HMS Erebus find on the perception of the
reliability & usefulness of Inuit oral histories?

Why do you think Stephen Harper hardly acknowledged the impact

these Inuit oral histories had on the discovery?

Will the find of the HMS Erebus strengthen or diminish Inuit

nationalism? Why?