Canadian Material Culture

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People transfer their norms and values from one generation to another through their culture. Moreover, methods through which people carry out their lives are different in different cultural settings. Communities use different tools to accomplish their daily activities. In short, people are defined by specific issues that they do in their day-to-day activities.

Culture has been defined as the norms, values, and guidelines that shape peoples behavior in a given community and the way they carry out various activities. Physical objects are among the aspects of culture that are unique to a given community. They may be made by the community or purchased from neighboring communities to be used in the sustenance of the community as a whole.

These objects are always used in making work easier or more bearable than it would have been. Architecture is among the physical artifacts of culture that have been carried along throughout history. It is important to note that objects of material culture change over time due to the intermingling of communities, and this influences the way people lead their lives.

Culture is made up of both material and non-material aspects. Non-material culture refers to the non-tangible aspects of culture that define a given community. They include; norms, values, language, religion, philosophy and traditions among others. On the other hand, material culture is composed of the tangible aspects of a given culture.

These include; houses, cars, farming tools, technological gadgets, food, clothing, and ornaments among other things. Though non-material culture can be influenced by interactions with people from other cultures, material culture is highly vulnerable to influence from outside (Magill 193).

This is due to the fact that culture is as a result of social interaction that takes place between various cultures. In this regard, material aspects of any culture change from time to time depending on the level of interactions with people from different cultural backgrounds.

One aspect of material culture that is very crucial in Canada to date is architecture. Before the arrival of Europeans, the type of houses built in Canada depended on the availability of raw materials as well as the economic activities were carried out by a given community. While the nomads built temporary structures, the agricultural communities which usually stayed in a place for relatively long periods of time built more stable houses.

However, building in Canada has been highly influenced by the Europeans who came to settle there (Peters 417). Canadian climate is very diverse and very influential in the way people build their houses and other structures. The cold seasons and the snow that falls sometimes should be taken into consideration to avoid destruction. Nevertheless, Canada is not susceptible to adverse weather conditions.

Architecture in Canada is predominantly European and was first introduced by the French people who were the first European settlers. The English styles were also adapted when the English people arrived. Lately, the American styles gained ground and are influencing the way Canadians build their houses to date.

Anciently, each community had a unique way of building which reflected the level of technology present at that time. People from the north were mainly nomads and stayed in one place for a relatively short period of time (Lerner and Mary 52). Therefore, though their houses were made of wood, they were temporal.

These people left the wooden structures intact whenever they moved and used them if they returned to the same sport at a later date. The southern people, on the other hand, were predominantly agriculturalists and lived in permanent settlements. As a result, they built relatively strong and permanent houses compared to the northerners. Their houses were typically long made from wood and covered by barks or woven mats.

It is important to note that besides these two dominant groups of people, there were also other communities which built using fairly different styles. Some communities built simple wooden structures that were covered using animal hides. The hides were dismantled and carried along whenever the communities moved. However, the communities that had good knowledge of carpentry built strong structures (Kalman 235).

As can be noted from above, the traditional modes of the building largely depended on the economic activities of people and their ways of life. The nomads preferred houses that were easy to build and destroy because of the short periods they spent at any place. These communities moved in relatively small numbers and thus build small sized houses. Nevertheless, the agricultural communities lived in large groups and in permanent settlements. Consequently, they build large houses and somehow strong ones. These houses accommodated many people and allowed the communities to be quite social.

All these methods of the building changed when Europeans started arriving in Canada and settling there. Europeans build their houses using their native technologies which were slowly copied by the Canadians. The arrival of the French introduced the Baroque architectural design. These became very dominant especially in the Quebec area where most French people settled.

Most of the houses were built using stones (Zimmerman 62). The French who lived in rural areas built one story rectangular buildings. Given that during winter there is always snow that falls on top of buildings thus destroying them, the French houses had tall slanting roofs to prevent the accumulation of snow. Some of these houses can still be seen in Canada having stone walls. However, it is important to note that the ancient ones were wooden.

Later on, the British settled in Canada and also brought with them their building technology. Most of the British settled in the lower part of Canada their building styles were predominant in this part of the country. For the rich upper and middle class who could afford to have expensive structures, the Georgian style was used in building. Various institutions also used the Georgian style in erecting their buildings.

On the other hand, those who were not financially stable used simple ways of building mostly using the by-products of their activities. These people used tree logs to build log cabins in the beginning. Nevertheless, as time went by and their agricultural activities became profitable, they transformed their houses into rectangular buildings made of wood. Some of these building styles are present to date, especially the Georgian style (Ricketts, Lasile and Jacqueline 93).

Each part of Canada used architectural styles that reflected the technology of settlers who inhabited the area. In this regard, immigrants of the prairies built houses that had plaster walls mostly white. The roofs of these houses were thatched because materials used for thatching were easily available in the prairies.

However, the British started encroaching slowly by slowly. As a result, British building styles replaced the traditional way of building. Nevertheless, there were various institutions that opted to conserve Canadian traditions and maintained the Canadian cultural ways of building houses. Consequently, different parts of Canada had different building styles in the period leading to the First World War.

Many people looked at the European styles of building as being civilized compared to the cultural Canadian styles. In this era also, many people wanted to associate themselves with civilization. As a result, many people quickly adapted European styles of building. However, these styles were not temporary as such and needed people to stay in one place permanently or for relatively long periods.

Consequently, some communities changed their nomadic lifestyles to embrace what they termed as emerging ways of life (Stubbs and Emily 424). This also influenced other aspects of culture like food that people took and the economic activities that these communities would engage themselves in.

Nonetheless, in times leading to the First World War, the transport was improved in most parts of Europe, America and several other parts of the world. Therefore, people from Canada got opportunities to travel to several parts of the world, especially Europe. Consequently, architects from Canada copied building styles used foreign countries and used them back at home.

The new technologies that gained dominance in Canada included the Victorian style. This style was dominant in Britain and was used mostly by the increasing British population that migrated to Canada. Conservatives in a move to preserve their culture revived the Gothic style (Ricketts, Lasile and Jacqueline 55).

The style was mostly used to build various institutions among them churches, educational institutions as well as a few private homes. This is the style that was used to build the parliament buildings. There were some private homes that were built using the Queen Anne style. The Romanesque style and the Tudor style among others were also revived in the period after the mid 19th century to the First World War.

All this was done in efforts to reduce the cultural diffusion especially from the United States of America. These efforts led to the formation of licensing bodies at least to keep American architects at bay, given that they were a threat to Canadians.

It is important to note that during this period, Canadians became concerned with the level of technology they used in building. The competition from foreign architects was becoming insurmountable, and there was a need to advance. In this regard, the Canadians enhanced their education system to improve their technology.

On the other hand, American influence was critical in the Canadian architectural aspect. The major American styles that were used in Canada in the period before World War I was the commercial style and the Beaux-Arts. The commercial style was used to build office buildings, mostly in urban areas. On the same note, shopping stores used the commercial style of building (Stubbs and Emily 431). This style became dominant to the point that most of the cities had several story buildings constructed using the commercial style.

In the periods that followed World War I, each nation wanted to preserve its national culture. Nationalism became the song of every country and Canada was no different. In every aspect of culture, people wanted to identify their roots and conserve them. Consequently, Canadian architects endeavored to come up with designs that would be considered indigenously Canadian. Chateau style which was a mixture of Victorian Gothic style and some French aspects became popular.

The quest for pure Canadian style of construction also led to the reintroduction of Neo-Gothic style as part of the architectural culture. This was because most people considered Gothic to be entirely a Canadian culture. However, some bit of ancient technology was used to give the style a Canadian touch (Gruft and Helen 114). Notably, parliament was rebuilt using this architectural style in a move that strengthened the nationality of the style.

Though the conservatives were able to revive some traditional building styles, these styles were not purely Canadian. They were a mixture of other styles from different parts of the world. Moreover, these so-called cultural styles were not able to influence people to go back to their ancient ways of life. The cultural impact had been made by the European. Nonetheless, many buildings that were constructed during this period reflected the need of people to identify themselves as Canadians.

In later years, however, the call for nationalism reduced. In the periods that followed World War II, the world became socially open and interactions increased. People enhanced their international tours and saw many beautiful buildings there. Most cities in Canada were often able to interact with the outside world. Though there were very many people who wanted to maintain traditional building styles, modernity eventually found its way into Canada (Finaly 55).

As a result, many new buildings were slightly different from the original styles and reflected a bit of internationalism. Urban planning was important to architects who wanted to create attractive buildings. As a result, arts and in some instances sculpture was included in public buildings. This was not only meant to attract people but to also depict the diverse cultures that were present in Canadian cities at that time.

The return of the veterans and the population boom all required more houses. On the same note, other facilities for example cars became cheap thus people had enough money to buy houses. This led to the growth of suburbs which changed the way people led their lives. People became more concerned with their privacy and required their homesteads to be built in specific ways.

Many city buildings were also demolished and new ones erected. However, this time, there was no specific direction to follow in terms of architectural designs (Warkentin 9). As a result, various architects came up with designs to fulfill fairly private motives. However, the oil shock of the early 1970s disrupted architecture all over the world.

Arguably, the most negative impact of Canadian architecture is the way it has helped in the spread of class inequality. While rich people have flourishing houses in most cities, there is an increased rate at which suburban houses are emerging. Affordable, decent houses are not easily available.

Economically low-class people use simple materials and thus build simple houses. On the other hand, the well to do economically centers on good architectural styles building lavish houses. With the conspicuous difference in the way different economic classes construct their houses, economic inequality is unavoidable.

As a result of the reduction in the quest for cultural protection, people started building houses using styles that were prominent internationally. On the same note, Canadian styles were also used in other countries because architects from Canada were working in various parts of the world (Peters 384).

Moreover, a restriction that had been placed regarding the construction of huge buildings reduced in this period. As a result, many sky crappers were constructed in almost every city in Canada. It is important to note that technological improvement has been very crucial in advancing building styles in Canada to date.

Arguably, people of Canada have been building houses depending on their level of civilization at any point in time. It is, therefore, crucial to point out that architectural designs have been changing over time about the various needs of people.

In the period that followed World War II, there was increased demand for huge and spacious buildings. This was after the veterans saw how people lived in European countries and wanted to have the same in their country. Moreover, there was a baby boom in this period, and various families wanted bigger houses. Consequently, one story private homes became very popular.

Traditional buildings were constructed using the materials that were easy to find and the knowledge that was available then. With improved technology, different styles emerged which required the use of rather different materials. These new buildings changed the way people operated. Planning of the cities was done, taking into consideration the privacy of people.

National buildings constructed at specific points in time tell something about the national culture then. The establishment of a road and railway network is also considered part of the architecture. Transport systems are very crucial in enhancing the movement of people into and out of a country (Magill 148).

As pointed out above, architectural designs changed with the influence that was received from other cultures, especially from Europe and the United States of America. The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway completely changed the way people built their houses.

Woodhouses were rare in the prairies because of the scarcity of wood in the area. However, transportation of wood from other parts of the country was made easy using the Pacific railway. Consequently, wood houses increasingly became popular and cheaper in the prairies.

The international architecture also brought new technology that was used to build new roads. Among the roads built using improved technology is the Toronto Subway, which was completed in 1957. Moreover, the transport system opened up rural areas to cultural influences. This made the people in these rural places to change their ways of life and embrace the way foreigners led their lives, especially European. Consequently, architecture is among the aspects through which cultural transformation can be manifested in society (Kalman 276).

It is important to note that architecture is highly susceptible to influences from other cultures. A culture that is exposed to foreign interference is bound to have very many architectural styles. The settlement of Europeans in Canada brought new technologies that highly influenced not only the way people built houses but also the way they led their lives.

European architectural styles were costly and relatively permanent. As a result, many people who embraced these styles had to adopt European styles of living. Nomads had to change from their nomadic lifestyles. On the same note, various cultural interactions can be depicted in the way Canadians have historically built various buildings.

Works Cited

Finaly, Karen A. The force of Culture: Vincent Massey and Canadian Sovereignty. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004. Print.

Gruft, Andrew and Helen Belkin. Substance over Spectacle: Contemporary Canadian Architecture. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2005. Print.

Kalman, Harold. A Concise History of Canadian architecture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.

Lerner, Loren Ruth and Mary F. Williamson. Art and Architecture in Canada: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991. Print.

Magrill, Barry. Commerce of Taste: Church Architecture in Canada 1867-1914. Kingston: MQUP, 2012. Print.

Peters, Diane E. Canadian Art and Architecture: an Annotated Bibliography of Theses and Dissertations. Lanham: Scarecrow press. Print.

Ricketts, Shannon, Laslie Maitland and Jacqueline Hucker. A Guide to Canadian Architectural Styles. Toronto: University of Toronto, 2004. Print.

Stubbs, John H. and Emily G. Makas. Architectural Conservation in Europe and the Americans. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2011. Print.

Warkentin, John. Creating memory: A Guide to Outdoor Public Sculpture in Toronto. Toronto: Becker Associates, 2010. Print.

Zimmerman, Karla. Canada: Ediz Inglese. Melbourne: Lonely Planet press, 2008. Print.

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Canadian Material Culture

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