Missing at the Olympics opener...

[ronstew]

There is a good reason for the native peoples theme throughout these games. In BC, there is a lot of land that is claimed by various native groups but is held by non-natives. The games themselves are in lands that had traditionally been homes to four different peoples. By bringing these groups on-board, the organisers eliminated native protests.

Personally, even though it was expedient, I consider it to be a worthy approach. And I will admit that I may be overly cynical.

p.s. I use the word native because I cannot spell aboriginal.

[robthehiker]

I too was surprised by the lack of Chinese representation and was taken aback by the amount of Celtic representation.

[Zardoz]

I too was surprised by the lack of Chinese representation and was taken aback by the amount of Celtic representation.

Interesting, and you have a point. From what I read on a brief cruise around the interweb , Chinese Canadians account for just under 4% of Canadians, and Aboriginal peoples about the same percentage. So yeah I'd guess the Chinese were under-repesented. On the other hand over 15% of Canadians identify as being of Scottish heritage, and Irish 14%.

[robthehiker]

Interesting, and you have a point. From what I read on a brief cruise around the interweb , Chinese Canadians account for just under 4% of Canadians, and Aboriginal peoples about the same percentage. So yeah I'd guess the Chinese were under-repesented. On the other hand over 15% of Canadians identify as being of Scottish heritage, and Irish 14%.

True, but Chinese Canadians account for almost 10% of the population of British Columbia and 19% of the population of Vancouver. Scots account for 16% of the Vancouver population.

With a population of 400,000, Chinese Canadians are Vancouver's second largest ethnic group after the English (with 480,000).

And as Raphael noted, they built the railway.

[JSFMACLJR]

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[Ozark Ridge Rider]

p.s. I use the word native because I cannot spell aboriginal.

Maybe not, but I think you nailed it.

[robthehiker]

I thought my great-great grandfather Sir Sandford Fleming built the Canadian Pacific Railway.

He surveyed much of it (is he really your great-great grandfather?).

from wikipedia (which is never wrong... rolls eyes)

In British Columbia, the CPR hired workers from China, nicknamed coolies. A navvy received between $1 and $2.50 per day, but had to pay for his own food, clothing, transportation to the job site, mail, and medical care. After two and a half months of back-breaking labour, they could net as little as $16. Chinese navvies in British Columbia made only between $0.75 and $1.25 a day, not including expenses, leaving barely anything to send home. They did the most dangerous construction jobs, such as working with explosives. The families of the Chinese who were killed received no compensation, or even notification of loss of life. Many of the men who survived did not have enough money to return to their families in China. Many spent years in lonely, sad and often poor conditions. Yet the Chinese were hard working and played a key role in building the western stretch of the railway; even some boys as young as 12 years old served as tea-boys. In 2006 Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology to the Chinese population in Canada for their treatment both during and following the construction of the CPR.

[JSFMACLJR]

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[Lyle1]

I think we should go back to the simple opening ceremonies. Set up some bleachers outdoors, let a runner or skier come in with a torch, light the torch, start the athletic events. The Olympics is about the celebration of sport, not how much more elaborate a country can make the opening ceremonies than the last country who did it. The vast sums spent on the ceremonies could be better spent in providing better facilities and accomodations for the athletes that are attending, imagine this....making the tickets affordable so people of lesser means can attend.

I was stunned when they mentioned how much the production cost, and I think they said it was cheaper than some. I did wonder how that money could be better spent. On the other side, I imagine that it pumped a lot of money into the companies that created the show and provided the workmen.

[Lallans]

If we want to get really deeply into it, First Nations people are descended from Asians who crossed the Bering Straits area into North America and, if you believe recent theories, were met up by European stone age peoples who in turn crossed over the ice age ice bridge that spanned the Atlantic in that era. So everyone was covered! But darn it, starting back circa 1500 the Hudsons Bay Company consitantly hired Scots to man their trading posts, presumably because they were used to living in cold and isolated communities (and liked money ), and those guys often if not generally married into the native communities.

Cultural bias aside, another thing that got me thinking about the missing 'pipes was the sight of the chief Vancouver organizer doing a TV studio interview while wearing a very large and out-of-place tartan scarf (looked like Hunting Stewart but no doubt I'm wrong)- so I was wondering if that was because the Vancouver Scottish community was het up in general. Amongst my circle of friends where I live the concensus is that the pipes were considered too overpowering, and possibly that there was also a certain English (as in England the country) bias at work. Maybe the closing ceremonies...!