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Birchbark canoes were part of an essential transportation system to many First Peoples, and later, to European voyageurs and settlers. Different styles and types help define function and versatility in a sometimes unforgiving climate.
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Sitting Bull was the great Lakota Sioux chief most famous for defeating General Custer's Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Trace Sitting Bull's journey to Canada and the story of the ROM's acquisition of his war bonnet and case.
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Contemporary works, such as this 21st century headdress sculpture made from refrigerator parts, provide a new perspective on much-recycled and stereotyped symbols of Indianness. The gallery invites visitors to explore the great diversity that exists among the indigenous peoples of the continent.
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The traditions of Canada's First Peoples are captured in the BMO Financial Group Theatre, located within the gallery. Films screened relate to the content of the gallery, such as Robert Flaherty’s classic documentary, Nanook of the North.
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Robert J. Flaherty (1884-1951) was commissioned by the Canadian Northern Railway to find iron-ore deposits along the northeast coast of Hudson Bay. He visited the Arctic over several years and collected a wide range of Inuit artifacts, such as this child's summer bonnet made of caribou skin decorated with beadwork.
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Considered the father of Canadian art, Paul Kane's works have created an iconic chronicle of indigenous life during the 19th century. The ROM holds Canada's largest collection of Paul Kane's works.