“Assimilable or Unassimilable”: 20th Century Canadian Immigrants' Responses to Native Culture

By the 20 century, many traditional native artifacts reflects were commodified by Indigenous cultural products for the immigrant market. For many immigrants, these objects were both souvenirs and symbols of the “exotic” Native culture that they encountered upon settling in Canada. The commercialized exchange was complex, as it involved appropriation but also a form of cultural recognition and preservation.