How the Middle Ages are being revisited through Indigenous perspectives

Qualipu Mi’kmaw scholar Christopher Crocker has examined how fascination with Norse contact dominates Newfoundland tourism at the expense of pre-colonial Indigenous studies and representation. L’Anse-Aux-Meadow National Historic Site in northern Newfoundland. (Shutterstock)

The seemingly fantastical world of the Middle Ages has held western popular culture in fascination since (at least) its nostalgic reimagining by Victorian antiquarians.

European medieval imagery or narratives, partly popularized in the early to mid-20th century, with works like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, still permeates popular culture. “The medieval” is used to evoke both magical stories for all ages, and mature stories featuring senseless violence.