A rich history worth discovering
3 minutes
Montreal centre-ville
- © Kyle William's art
- c
Montréal centre-ville
Montréal centre-ville
More than just holiday decorations, the Lights on Peel street celebrate Montreal’s thousand-year-old history with the first nations.
In the summer of 2018, thousands of objects crafted by the St. Lawrence Iroquois were discovered under the intersection of Peel and Sherbrooke. Two years later, this major archaeological discovery has inspired ISM Art et design, as part of a call for projects launched by the SDC Montréal centre-ville for the new light decorations for one of Montreal’s busiest commercial thoroughfares.
In addition to spreading holiday cheer, the l ights on Peel Street honour the First Nations who inhabited the land before us, as well as the animals that shared their everyday lives, animals that have a strong significance in Native American culture.
An engaged community
The turtle, symbol of perseverance, the wolf, symbol of loyalty, and the bear, symbol of strength, are at the heart of these light installations created by ISM Art & Design, in collaboration with Montreal’s Kahnawake Mohawk community. “We asked them if they would share their story with us and explain the symbolism behind the three animals that represent the Mohawk nation,” explains Cristina d’Arienzo, who initiated the project with the downtown SDC earlier this summer.
“Rather than speak for them, we wanted to make sure that the First Nations were aware of the project and that it corresponded to the message they wanted to convey,” points out Aurélie Arnaud, Government and Municipal Relations Advisor in charge of the reconciliation strategy for the city of Montreal. “We organized a meeting with the Kahnawake council chiefs, which allowed us to better position the project and give it a stronger cultural foundation.”
A little-known part of history
Born of this collaboration, the decorative lights on Peel Street portray the rich history of the area and revisit the traditional holiday lights. Created using luminous points, the faces of the animals represent the notion of a starlit sky, as understood by Aboriginal peoples in Canada.
Each animal is placed in the centre of a luminous rectangular frame, reminiscent of the famous shape portrayed on the Hiawatha belt, symbol of the Iroquois confederation.
More than just lights, the idea is to delve into a lesser-known part of history.
The installations are equipped with QR codes that, when scanned, redirect visitors to informative platforms. “It’s an interesting opportunity that allows people to learn more about our community, our history,and the origin of our clans,” explains Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, council Chief for the Kahnawake community involved with the project. “Our nation is close by, just past the Mercier Bridge, on the other side of the St. Lawrence, and yet, so few people know our history.”
A first step
Programmed to run from November 15 to February 15, the Lights on Peel Street are part of a larger project that extends well past the holidays. “This is a first step; our goal is to use urban furniture to display the archaeological treasures discovered beneath Peel Street,” says Aurélie Arnaud. “This project is part of Montreal’s bigger reconciliation project. Our goal is to work directly with the First Nations in order to share the island’s thousand-year-old history.”
Before discovering the future projects developed as part of Peel Street’s makeover, it was essential to create some holiday magic, particularly during these difficult times. These Instagram worthy installations steeped in history will certainly accomplish that. “It’s a great opportunity for people to stroll through our downtown core,” encourages Aurélie Arnaud. “And we hope everyone takes the time to learn more about our city’s history through these beautiful installations.”
An initiative in collaboration with Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and KORLCC, and the support of the borough of Ville-Marie
