A woke infiltrated Canadian educational history museum for children is changing its name, in a brazen attempt to be more ‘inclusive.’ And many, including school teachers, are teepeed off!

Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto, Canada, will be dropping the word ‘pioneer’ from its name as part of its diversity efforts to ‘change the narrative’ and ensure representation for Indigenous, Black, and BLT++ voices. 

The 60 plus year old historical museum located in the north end of the city features an educational walking tour of a typical 19th century Ontario farming village, complete with historic buildings such as a blacksmith shop, printing press, school house, gardens, domestic farm animals, and tour guides dressed in period clothing. (The 1860s era replica jail was closed in 2020 in acknowledgment of the BLM movement.—ed)

“It is important to note,” highlights local historian Rafael Sanchez. “That there was never an actual village on the site, and that the artifacts are from throughout the province.”

But now, the site plans to revise its educational programming to include representation from communities museum officials claim have been excluded in the past. 

Spinning the Yarn of Wisdom of the Elders

Tracey-Mae Chambers, a Métis yarn based installation artist (Is that even a real thing—ed) who has recently had her ‘art’ on display at the museum says this is an “incredibly important” step forward for all Indigenous communities.

“A lot of times it’s older white men who tell the story,” Chambers said. “Places like Black Creek Pioneer Village, as it was called at the time, only addresses a settler narrative as opposed to Indigenous folks that were displaced along the way.” 

But Sanchez disagrees, “The Pioneer village is like looking at an installation in an art gallery. There is no land dispute or actual property claim. This is just another example of the attack on the so-called colonizer.”

Settler-ing the Indigenous issue 

A large but quiet majority of school teachers aghast at the changes have reached out to the GWU! Universe to share their criticism of the plans. 

One teacher who regularly took her students to the soon to be re-dubbed ‘The Village at Black Creek,’ worries that history is being erased in the name of short-sighted diversity politics that have little historical truth. 

“Certainly, Indigenous people are part of the pioneer story (Under 2% of them, actually—ed), but I worry that rather than a balanced and fact-based look at history my students will be hit over the head with guilt for so-called ‘Indigenous genocide’ and ‘social justice indoctrination.’ I don’t think it’s right,” adds the Grade 4 teacher, “to brainwash children about how evil they all are for wanting to learn about how pioneers made butter or printed their newspapers and Bibles.”

The teacher lectures that her students have always looked forward to visiting the museum, but she’s unsure if she would take them there to supplement the province’s mandated educational unit on pioneer life. 

“How am I supposed to explain to my Indian students … from India a balanced history of Canadian Indians without seeing the other side of the story?”

Classroom trips to the museum have always made up the majority of visitors, explains another Primary School teacher, but adds that he is unlikely to book a trip for his class any time soon.

“I’m sorry—but the important part of the name ‘Pioneer Village’ is the bit about, you know … pioneers. Were they perfect? No. Did they exist and should their story be told, yes. How can we expect to learn from the past if we keep erasing it with statue topplings and name changes to suit the current day political climate,” he argues. “What’s next for these decolonizers, shipping us all back to England!”

“As for the alphabet community,” he continues, “the small number of LMNOPioneers that existed at the time were more focused on surviving the harsh Canadian winter than running around in dresses ‘identifying’ with neo-gender pronouns.”

Museum officials argue that the changes will bring about a more positive and inclusive safe space while only costing $45,000. Officials have not indicated how long it will be till the newly transitioned ‘Village at Black Creek’ is forced to change its name again—for being offensive to Black people who they claim, historically, can’t swim.