City of Hamilton Culture Report Final April 23

a story of us / a story of place - full research report appendix K Photograph by Jeff Tessier appendix K - a story of us / a story of place - full research report 155 Full Research Report 2. Identity Mapping – exploring and recording Introduction intangible cultural resources – the defining history, values, identity and sense of place that Phase 1 of the Our Community Culture (OCC Project) make that community unique. establishes the foundation upon which the City of Hamilton will build a Cultural Policy and Plan in Phase 2 What follows in A Story of Us – A Story of Place is a of the project. The overarching goal of the Cultural contribution to both forms of cultural mapping: Policy and Plan will be to transform the City’s resource mapping and identity mapping. Hamilton’s understanding of culture and to integrate culture into culture today emerges from the story of a place and all aspects of future planning initiatives. the people who have inhabited that place for thousands of years. Each historical period has left a The OCC Project is being developed using a new set legacy for Hamilton. Hamilton’s legacy and unique of assumptions called municipal cultural planning. A assets include physical sites and landforms, artifacts, defining characteristic and approach of municipal images, place names, stories, and neighbourhoods. cultural planning, and as undertaken in the OCC Hamilton’s unique assets serve as reminders, both Project, is that the municipal cultural planning is place- tangible and intangible, of the city’s history and culture. based. A place-based approach to municipal cultural Hamilton’s unique assets help us better understand the planning means plans are built on the basis of the needs history and context of many of the challenges we face and circumstances of a specific place and community, a today, and are indispensable in shaping the plans and community with a unique history, geography, social and strategies we need for the future. economic circumstances and aspirations, etc. The focus The stories associated with a place are not insignificant. of the City’s Cultural Policy and Plan will be to identify Stories have been called ‘the DNA of culture’ because and leverage the unique cultural assets of Hamilton to they express and communicate critical information support the City’s goals in economic development, land about the people, places, events, achievements that use planning, urban design, youth engagement, social form the collective memory and identity of a inclusion, and more. community. A Story of Us – A Story of Place marks not the end but the beginning of a conversation about Pagoda Restaurant, King Street East at John Street The starting point for all municipal cultural plans is a Hamilton’s unique culture and identity, a conversation North process called cultural mapping. Cultural mapping is a that will be an integral component of the broad systematic approach to identifying the unique cultural community engagement and next steps in developing Photograph by Graham Crawford assets and identity of a community. Cultural mapping Hamilton’s Cultural Policy and Plan. has two dimensions: 1. Resource Mapping – identifying and documenting tangible or physical cultural resources; and appendix K - a story of us / a story of place - full research report 156 The goal in developing A Story of Us – A Story of A STORY OF US Place has been to synthesize some of the major themes Theme 1 - Settlement, Diversity and Inclusion that have formed Hamilton’s past and that continue to The Hamilton of today is a city with over 30 diverse shape its current realities and aspirations. In A Story of ethno-cultural and racial communities. In 2006, one in Us – A Story of Place those major themes that have eight people in Hamilton were a visible minority; almost helped form Hamilton are captured in two broad 23 percent claimed a mother tongue other than English categories: or French.1 A Spring Market Display - Hamilton Farmers’ Archaeological evidence related to aboriginal Market - Hamilton Public Library, Local History A Story of Us settlement, the first human inhabitants, is the and Archives Department foundation of Hamilton’s material culture. Subsequent 1. Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion inhabitants overlapped, intermingled and added their 2. Innovation and Creative Economies own legacy to this cultural footprint. One example, the 3. Citizens, Engagement and Protest Mississauga Nation, lived here when European settlers arrived. The Mississauga Nation, along with the A Story of Place Iroquoian Six Nations, provided military support to the British during the War of 1812 and contributed to 1. Geography and Environment victory in this important war in Canada’s history.2 2. Urban Development The earliest European immigrants who came to 3. Built Form Hamilton were predominantly from Scotland, Ireland, and England.3 In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, While the above categories identify some of the major many newcomers moved through Hamilton’s port to themes from Hamilton’s past they are in no way meant the rich agricultural plain to found communities like Griffin House National Historic Site - Hamilton to be seen as comprehensive or complete. Rather, Ancaster, Dundas, and Rockton. In many cases, these Civic Museums similar to the approach of the baseline mapping of early immigrants were fleeing political oppression or Hamilton’s cultural resources, A Story of Us – A Story economic hardship in their countries of origin. of Place is meant to be viewed as a place to begin The balance of nationality and cultural origins in dialogue, a starting point for community conversations Hamilton evolved over time with the arrival of Irish and engagement during Phase 2 of the OCC Project, immigrants between 1820 and 1850;4 Germans,5 not an all inclusive historical narrative. Americans and Black settlers6 from the United States during the 1850s; and the 1880s saw the arrival of The following is a more detailed explanation of the six significant numbers from Britain.7 In the 20th century major themes captured in the two broad categories of these immigration patterns continued to evolve: people A Story of Us – A Story of Place. from Southern and Eastern Europe, notably Italy, Poland and Hungary arrived between 1900 and 19308. Canadian-born Maritimers arrived in Hamilton to escape the depression years and work in wartime Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek - production in the late 1930s and 1940s. Battlefield House Museum and Park - Hamilton Civic Museums appendix K - a story of us / a story of place - full research report 157 Following World War II, Hamilton was the destination immigrants outnumber more recent arrivals by a 2:1 for many refugees from the Baltic countries and Poland margin. Immigration into Hamilton may have slowed and Yugoslavia and significant numbers of Italian but people are still arriving here. South Asian, Black and immigrants arrived in the 1950s.9 In the 1960s, with Chinese communities comprise Hamilton’s largest the repeal of the Immigration Act and the immigrant populations. establishment of new immigration regulations, many Caribbean blacks arrived in Hamilton, some of whom The fastest increases in Hamilton’s population in the were teachers scouted by Hamilton’s separate school past five years have come from South Asian, Southeast board.10 Asian, West Asian and people of Arab descent.14 Information prepared by the Social Planning and Throughout Hamilton’s history, successive waves of Research Council of Hamilton (2008) indicates that the Migration by William Epp, Hamilton City Hall - immigrants arrived and added another layer to the city’s city’s downtown area has the highest proportion of Art in Public Places Collection history and culture. These immigrants brought diverse residents born outside of Canada (28 percent), the traditions, language, religions, celebrations; they highest proportion of recent immigrants (4.2 percent), established community organizations and clubs that and is the most diverse community in the city with 17 became part of the urban mix. New neighbourhoods percent of its population belonging to a visible minority emerged: the low-lying area of Corktown, located group. Hamilton’s downtown is followed by the Stoney southeast of the city centre, became home to many Creek area with 27 percent of its residents born out 19th century Irish Catholics.11 In the 1940s and 1950s, side of Canada, and 2.1 percent of its residents as Barton, Sherman and Ottawa Streets became the recent immigrants.15 commercial ethnic “downtown” crossroads for the north and east end working class neighbourhoods.12 Efforts to promote the arts and heritage of immigrants are evident in events such as the seasonal Saturday During the prosperous 1970s, many north and east end Sabawoon Hamilton Art and Craft Market Bazaar. residents moved into suburban areas and subdivisions There are also collaborations between groups such as in Stoney Creek and on the Niagara Escarpment, the Immigrant Culture & Art Association, the Workers Hamilton’s “mountain.” However, in moving to the Arts & Heritage Centre, the Community Centre for suburbs, these former north and east end residents left Media Arts, and the Imperial Cotton Centre for the a significant built heritage legacy in the lower city in the Arts that promote the arts and heritage of immigrants form of churches, fraternal club buildings, restaurants, to Hamilton 16. bakeries, and in stories, like the program of stories, music and song developed by Charley Chiarelli in his It is evident that Hamilton has long been regarded as a show called Cu’Fu? (Sicilian for “Who Did It?).13 destination and refuge for immigrants from around the The movement of residents to the suburbs also world. As immigrants arrived, each contributed rich contributed to the decline of Barton and Ottawa traditions in the form of languages, foods, arts and Streets as ethnic commercial strips and led to the material culture to the city’s already diverse cultural dilution of the ethnic character of many mix.

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