At the Knees of Our Ancestors is a permanent exhibit that examines the history of enslavement and early Black life in Canada. The project is rooted in community‐based research and storytelling, developed through sustained relationships with Black communities across the country. Through this work, the exhibition strengthens representation of Black experiences within the Museum and contributes to a broader, more accurate understanding of Canada’s history.
At the Knees of Our Ancestors (Level 2 Gallery)
A closer look at the years of enslavement in Canada and early Black history in the country.
Opening fall 2026 – Permanent exhibition
This exhibition has not started yet.
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Exhibition details
At the Knees of Our Ancestors marks the first phase of a larger, ongoing initiative — the Ancestors Project — which aims to enrich Black content, programming and community engagement across the CMHR.
Phase One reimagines the existing Underground Railroad niche in the Canadian Journeys gallery (Level 2). While the current display centres on Harriet Tubman and her pivotal role in the liberation of enslaved people seeking freedom in Canada, the renewed exhibition expands this narrative to include the longer and often obscured history of enslavement within Canada itself.
Canada’s participation in the transatlantic slave trade and its devastating impact on both African and Indigenous peoples are often marginalized in public memory. This exhibition brings these histories into focus through objects, documents and oral histories, revealing the lives of the first Black individuals and communities who shaped the country’s early social fabric.
The design of the niche draws inspiration from the “family home” — a space of care, preservation and memory. During the curatorial research process, curator Alia Aluma travelled across Canada, engaging directly with Black families and communities who welcomed her into their homes, shared meals and opened private collections of heirlooms and artifacts. These intimate encounters informed the creation of an immersive living‐room environment, where visitors encounter historic objects, domestic furnishings and film projections that together evoke the layered experiences of early Black life in Canada.
Future phases of the Ancestors Project will expand this foundation through new films and collaborations with Black and Indigenous scholars, artists and communities across all regions. Planned developments include modular, travelling installations that extend the “family home” concept into different rooms and communal spaces — each co‐curated to introduce new stories, regional histories and critical perspectives on Black presence and belonging in Canada.
Summary
The At the Knees of Our Ancestors permanent exhibit is expected to open in fall 2026 at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Credits
Exhibition curator
Exhibition Curator: Alia Aluma (BA Art History; BA Film & Media Studies; MA World Culture & Literature)
Advisory council
This exhibition was developed with the guidance of a Black Advisory Network representing communities across the country. Research contributions were led and written by Black and Indigenous scholars. A full advisory council list and annotated bibliography will be presented upon the exhibition’s opening.