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"Now that's actually me. . . . That hillside is in
Prince Edward County, and that was my dog, my Great Dane . . . and
my ferret Pee Wee up on top there. That was in the Depression and
the ferret would get rabbits out of the holes. You had to fire
quick or even grab 'em.... We used to get our meat that
way." George Cockayne's description of his carved and
painted wooden plaque with attached shotgun shells is just the
beginning of one of his long and lively reflections on life. The
work itself captures the essence of his life in Canada, which has
been a hard one. [Treasures]
This carving was done while he was a farmhand and logger, living
on an island in the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. He trained a
ferret, which he named "Peewee," to assist him and his
Great Dane to hunt rabbits, whose meat supplemented his meagre
diet. All the important details of this period of Mr.
Cockayne's life are present in the composition--his dog, the
ferret cage, his cabin and rowboat, and, surmounting the whole
composition, his ferret. [From the Heart]
(English Canadian)
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In traditional China every individual, however rich or poor, was
entitled to be honoured on three occasions: birth, death and
marriage. Among Chinese-Canadians marriage is similarly honoured,
but the circumstances and ceremonies surrounding it now blend
Chinese tradition with Western symbolism. Matchmakers and
fortune-tellers are no longer consulted; Canadian born Chinese
choose their spouses themselves, though some continue to avoid
marrying persons of the same surname.
Weddings are now usually conducted in a church, followed by a
reception at home and a banquet in a restaurant. Newlyweds maintain
the tradition of offering tea to parents and relatives, but the old
custom of kowtowing to elders and worshipping heaven and earth and
the ancestors has waned.
Some traditional wedding gifts are chop-sticks, dates and lotus
seeds, all symbolizing the wish that the couple have many children.
Another ideal gift would be a jade vase, whose name ping is a
homophone for peace and stability. The vase pictured here has
handles shaped like ling zhi, a fungus that is the emblem of
immortality. [Treasures] (Chinese)
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