Discover Your Community's Local Heritage and History

Many different people helped build your community over time. Indigenous peoples, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, lived in communities across Canada for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. They built communities, spoke many languages, and cared for the land.

Pioneers were early people who travelled to new lands and helped build communities. Settlers moved to new places and made them their homes. Newcomers brought new traditions, foods, and languages that became part of your community's heritage. You can learn more about this through Coming to the Community and First Peoples History.

Your community uses many ways to protect and share its history. Museums collect and display old objects and stories. Heritage buildings are protected so future generations can see them. Communities also hold special events called commemorations to honour important moments from the past.

Oral history is when stories and memories are passed down by speaking aloud, not writing. This is especially important in many Indigenous communities. You can explore how traditions are kept alive through Maintaining Traditions and First Peoples Traditions.

Elder: An elder is a respected older person in your community who shares traditional knowledge, stories, and teachings with younger people.

Pioneer: A pioneer was an early person who travelled to a new land and helped build the community from the beginning.

Settler: A settler is someone who moved to a new place and made it their home, often long ago.

Descendant: A descendant is a person who is related to people who lived in the community long ago, like your great-great-grandparents.

Artifact: An artifact is an old object that was made or used by people in the past, like a tool, pot, or piece of clothing. Artifacts help you learn how people lived long ago.

Oral History: Oral history means stories and memories that are passed down from person to person by speaking aloud, not by writing. Many Indigenous communities use oral history to keep their culture alive.

Heritage Site: A heritage site is a place that is protected because it is very important to a community's past and history.

Commemoration: A commemoration is a special event or ceremony held to honour and remember something important from the past, like Remembrance Day.

Heritage Building: A heritage building is an old structure that is kept and protected because it has historical importance to the community.

Community Timeline: A community timeline shows important events in order from oldest to newest so you can see how your community grew and changed.

Cultural Heritage: Cultural heritage includes the traditions, languages, arts, and customs passed down from one generation to the next.

You can help preserve your community's history right now. Try drawing pictures of your neighbourhood or writing stories about what it looks like today. These can become historical records in the future.

You can also interview an elderly person in your community and ask them about what life was like when they were young. Old photographs, maps, and artifacts at your local museum are great tools too. Learning about Local Celebrations and Family Customs can also help you connect with your heritage.

You have already learned about Family and Community History and Changes in Community Life, which help you understand how communities grow and change. You also explored Using Historical Sources to find information about the past.

This topic builds on everything you know about your family and community. Next, you will explore even bigger ideas like Early Communities, Community Development, Indigenous Communities, and Migration Stories.

Local heritage connects to many other topics you are learning about. Family Customs shows you how traditions in your own family are part of your community's heritage. Local Celebrations helps you see how festivals and events keep community history alive.

Maintaining Traditions explains how communities work hard to keep their customs going from one generation to the next. Early Contact History tells you about what happened when different groups of people first met in Canada. First Peoples Traditions helps you understand the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples across Canada.