Monday is Columbus Day for some, for others, it's Indigenous Peoples' Day.
At Old Fort Niagara, visitors get the chance to learn the history of native people.
“In our society today, I think people are more and more ignorant of our history, which is a shame," said Robert Emerson, executive director at Old Fort Niagara. "So we're wanting people to be inspired to go away and learn more. Whether it's reading a book or watching a documentary, we teach history.”
The fort sits along the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. Its history spans more than 300 years.
The French were the first to explore the area in 1726. With the permission of the Haudenosaunee, the fort was built. Together, they traded trade deer hides and beaver pelts for cloth, guns and iron tools.
Then came the French and Indian War, also known as the seven-year war. Together they fought against the British. This is just a sample of history you can learn at Fort Niagara.
Jordan Smith is the head of the fort's native programs. His mission is to make sure this history and native traditions aren’t lost. Smith says he appreciates the opportunity to educate people from around the world.
He comes across people who don’t believe natives exist in this part of the country, let alone are still alive today.
“[They] expect us to look like the plains natives with long war bonnets and, you know, the long breech cloths and leggings, and we dress a little different here in the Eastern woodlands," said Smith. "It's not too much different than how we used to dress, you know, 300, 400 years ago. But it's great to be able to be here at Fort Niagara and be able to show that transition that, I guess that timeline of warrior.”
Old Fort Niagara will celebrate Monday with song and dance, storytelling and cornhusker doll making. The Fort also has a YouTube page where there’s a series of videos called Ask a Native Interpreter.
For history buffs, the fort has daily reenactments, such as musket firing, there are working cannons, plus on a clear day, you can see Toronto across Lake Ontario.