History
Monthly Archive: December Hist
When Whaling is Your Tradition
Guest blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Ursula McClintock
In some Indigenous communities around the world, whaling is as much a part of their tradition as my family’s turkey dinner at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whale hunting has played an integral role in feeding Inuit communities for millennia. Bowhead whales, among many other species of whales, were hunted to near extinction at the turn of the 20th century. Yet more often than not, Indigenous communities are cast in the same light as the commercial groups that are responsible for the near collapse of populations of these iconic marine animals.
Who sings for blues? How Blue Whales became ingredients in everyday products
Living in Ontario, the Blue Whale in the vast ocean may seem a distant thought from our daily lives. But our history with these animals is more intertwined than we realize - for example, would you ever use fertilizer in your garden made from blue whales? Canadians used to! Read this guest blog post by ROM Biodiversity / Blue Whale team member Katherine Ing to find out a bit more about the other ways whale products became a part of everyday life during the peak of industrial whaling, and what that means for modern global whale conservation.
"Of Angling, and the Art thereof": Fish Tails and Fish Tales
“Of Angling, and the Art thereof I sing,
What kinde of Tooles it doth behoue to haue;
Cooking up History: Historical Recipe Books
The cookbooks of the past provide information about diet and habits, as well as telling us which foods were expensive treats, and which were commonly available. Many of the foods that appear regularly through the centuries are not often eaten today, like pickled eel, fried lamprey, and cow-heel soup. Others are familiar, such as macaroni soup or an 1877 recipe for ‘Indian dal’.
Unfrozen in Time: From the Erebus and Terror to the ROM
Today’s blog post is a glimpse of a tale that is largely untold. It is the story of the exploration of the Canadian Arctic, as seen by Adam White in his botanical scrapbooks. These scrapbooks were donated to the University of Toronto, and came to the ROM together with what is now the ROM’s Green Plant Herbarium. What do these scrapbooks have to do with Franklin, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror? It’s a fantastic story!
The "Maple Leaf Forever Tree" Lives On
A year after a storm toppled the famous "Maple Leaf Forever Tree" in Leslieville, Toronto-based artisan and Eco-woodturner Michael Finkelstein wanted to help preserve this beautiful, 150-year old silver maple tree for future generations to enjoy through his artwork.
Origins of a Collection: A look at R.S. Williams' Historic Musical Instruments
Have you ever wondered how museums collect their treasured artefacts? You probably know that many objects are generously donated to such cultural centres. But do you know the story or the provenance (the record of origin and history of ownership) behind these objects? The ROM is full of interesting acquisition stories—many of which can be found in the Curatorial departments and the Library & Archives. This is just one…
Celebrate Canada Day with Maple Syrup!
In celebration of Canada Day and Canadian Heritage Week (July 1st - July 7th) this post will relfect on the rich heritage and history embedded within our maple leaf.
Stories from 2B - Talking about Canadian History
Australian intern, Maxine Kauter, knows nothing about Canadian history... but that's not stopping her from talking about it.
Museums, stories and things.
Get ready for an insider's look at the ROM from someone who's usually very far outside of it.
