Pow Wow Celebration

Pulsating drums, multi-coloured regalia and the rhythmic steps of the dancers are the trademark of the pow-wow. Today, these special gatherings are held by Indigenous peoples across North America. As an inter-tribal celebration pow-wows take the form of either a competition in which dancers and drum groups compete for prizes, or as a traditional pow-wow. The traditional pow-wow is a ceremony for the purpose of honouring the Creator, Mother Earth, or phases in the seasons. Read more

Meet the Staff: Education Intern Nicoletta Michienzi

How long have I been with MOA? I started my internship July 2015.

How did I begin? I am a Masters student at Western, and as part of our program we a
re required to do an internship. I decided that I would split my time over the summer between Eldon House, a historic home in downtown London, and the Museum of Ontario Archaeology. MOA really interested me because I was involved with archaeology during my undergrad, and in my masters program we learned about museum policies. Read more

Traditional Games workshop

The Traditional Games workshop offers an interactive way for visiting school groups to learn about Canada’s First Nation traditional games. Weather permitting, we play Inuit games, lacrosse, and double ball outside with small groups. It’s an active and hands-on opportunity to teach students about traditional games. Read more

Work Study Profile: Illinca

Name: Ilinca Olariu

How long have you worked at MOA? I’ve worked at MOA since October 2014.

What is your job title and what do you do? I am an education assistant. I am responsible for giving tours – usually to primary school groups, but occasionally to afterschool programs such as scouts, brownies or non-school tours. Read more

March Break Blog 2015

Wonderful World Adventures Camp 2015

March Break – March 16-20, 2015 –

Take an adventure through the many wonders of the world. Explore the ancient, natural, modern, underwater, and medieval wonders through games, activities and crafts. Read on to learn some of the activities we have in store! Read more

Wampum

What are wampums?

Wampums are visual memory keepers that help record history and communicate ideas. Beaded patterns represent a person, nation, event, invitation, shared values and understandings/agreements between two or more parties. Traditional wampum belts were used as covenants and petitions for understanding. Words spoken during an agreement are made into wampum to be used for ceremony, teaching, and reminders of law and values.

Who do they belong to? Read more

Staff Profile: Digital Content Creators

Meet MOA’s newest staff: Our Digital Content Creators

Hello, my name is Jordan T. Downey and I am working at MOA as an Archaeology Digital Content Creator.
Hello readers! My name is Katrina Pasierbek and I am thrilled to join the Museum of Ontario Archaeology staff as the Digital Content Creator for Education.

We are both creating some great digital content to enhance your online MOA experience.

Jordan Downey, MOA Archaeology Digital Content Creator 2015

Jordan:
Over the next few months I will be writing material for the museum’s website so that you can learn more about Ontario archaeology both before and after your visit to the museum. I plan to write a series of posts about how and why we do archaeology in Ontario and how people lived at the Lawson Site and other sites like it. I also plan to invite prominent and up-and-coming Ontario archaeologists to contribute to our website with some of their own projects and experiences. Read more

Work Study Profile: Falon

Name: Falon Fox

How long have you been a work study student at MOA? Since the beginning of November 2014.

What is your job title and what do you do? I am an education assistant, which means I assist in the educational programming of the classes/guests who sign up for activities. So far I have mostly been involved with the preparation phase but I am looking forward to the artifacts and tour portion of the programming schedule!

What led you to this position? The background I have for this position is my undergraduate career at Western. While studying history extensively over the past five years, it’s enabled me to memorize facts quite easily, which will of course come in handy for the artifacts and tour component of my job. Read more

Work Study Profile: Vasanthi

Hello! My name is Vasanthi Pendakur, and I just started working at the museum in September 2014.

As part of my program at Western, I will be working at the museum for the next year as an Education Assistant. I was drawn to this position because of all the new skills I could gain from it. I also have some background in First Nations history from when I worked for a private research company specializing in land claims and rights. This position seemed like the perfect place to combine this knowledge with the interpretation and educational programming skills I could learn. Read more

Programs for Teachers

Education at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology puts history directly in the hands of students. With access to almost two million artifacts, over a century of archaeological research, and a full size Iroquoian long house, students will enjoy a truly immersive learning environment while exploring over 13,000 years of human heritage in Ontario. Read more