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400 Years at Sea: Black Mariners' Untold Stories
31 May
Summary
- Exhibit highlights 400 years of African Nova Scotian seafarer history.
- It aims to integrate overlooked maritime contributions into Canadian history.
- Donna Guy, a Shelburne native, was a rare female barrel-making cooper.
A new traveling exhibition titled 'We and the Sea' has launched, delving into 400 years of maritime history centered on African Nova Scotian seafarers. This significant project, developed over four to five years, aims to illuminate a crucial part of Canada's marine industry that has been largely absent from historical records. The exhibition opened on Saturday at the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown, Nova Scotia.
Organizers emphasized the importance of this exhibit in shifting narratives from historical enslavement to recognizing substantial community contributions. They highlighted stories like that of Donna Guy, originally from Shelburne, who was one of the world's few female coopers and reportedly owned the last privately held commercial cooper shop in Canada. This initiative is a collaborative effort by the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre, and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, encouraging educational visits from schools across all levels.
Andrea Davis, executive director of the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre, stressed that 'Black history is Canadian history' and urged schools to visit. The exhibit also showcases histories from coastal communities like Africville and enslaved Africans involved in Louisbourg's fishing stations, aiming to ensure these narratives are recognized as integral to the nation's past and to inspire a better understanding of history among younger generations.
