Archives are known as historical documents that are collected throughout the years to provide information about a certain time, place, culture and group of people. When given the definition of an archive, it looked fairly simple and straight forward. What I didn’t realize was that archives carry so much more than just facts and information, they hold power and they help shape and form identity.

In Of Things Said and Unsaid: Power, Archival Silences, and Power in Silence by Rodney G.S. Carter, Carter talks about different powers that are exerted in archives; the power of the dominant and the lack of power that the marginalized groups experienced through not being archived. It amazed me that archives could actually have such massive implications. Groups could be forgotten, identities could be misrepresented and overstepped and people are not able to grow and move on.

After learning about this sliver of information about archives, I couldn’t help but see a connection to many Aboriginal groups. Throughout their history, many have continually tried to alter their identity and change their ways and traditions. Now we have moved towards acceptance and acknowledgment of the importance of having their history documented. Having archives and being able to access them is like being taken back in time. With many different archives acting as puzzle pieces, one will eventually be able to put it together to gain a bigger picture.

Without realizing it then, I recall watching a documentary on APTN, an aboriginal television network, of Eastern Canadian (Nova Scotia) Aboriginals being given access to old letters, objects, clothing items and names of people from the same tribe. I did not understand what it meant to the aboriginal people because I wasn’t aware that these items from the past held so much meaning for those in the present (and future to come).