Geoffrey Bird is Professor of heritage, culture, and tourism at Royal Roads University.
As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a little known part of the legacy is the impact on the Délı̨nę First Nation of the Northwest Territories. I explore their stories in the film A Moral Awakening, which is available online.
This heritage connects Indigenous people, Canadians and people all over the world who are concerned with peace, reconciliation and social justice. The film contributes to understanding of the global impact of nuclear weapons and its contested history.
But the main goal of A Moral Awakening is to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of the people of Délı̨nę, a story long silenced.
The geographies of the film are spread across Canada, connected through the mining and transportation of uranium ore. The ore was mined at Port Radium on Great Bear Lake, N.W.T., and then transported to Port Hope, Ont., for refining, finally ending up in the United States for use in the Manhattan Project.
Of the total amount of uranium used, 80 per cent was refined in Port Hope and 11 per cent came from Port Radium.
For the rest of this article: https://theconversation.com/legacy-of-canadas-role-in-atomic-bomb-is-felt-by-northern-indigenous-community-143524