Red River Cart Trek celebrates Métis
By Sheri Monk
Though now recognized as having their own distinct culture and status, it wasn’t always that way for the Métis people of Canada. Last week, Fort Walsh National Historic Site, in conjunction with Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, commemorated the Métis peoples of Canada and their contribution to the Southwest.
”This was part of celebrating 2010 as the Year of the Métis in Saskatchewan. This event was really just one part of an entire week of celebrations and here. It was called The Hills Are Alive,” explained Dominique Liboiron, interpretation officer for the site. “And it was a music and dance cultural fest and historic Red River Cart trek from June 7 to the thirteenth.”
Opening ceremonies on Monday, June 7 kicked off the special event, which was attended by invite.
“They consisted of dignitaries from the various Métis political associations and they also did the official launch of the cart trek by having a Red River Cart do a symbolic lap around the park,” said Liborion.
“The people that were going on the cart trek camped overnight at the Fort, and they left the next morning on June 8 and participated in the cart trek and went to the Reesor Ranch. They spent the night there and then they continued on toward Elkwater the next day,” said Liborion.
Métis workshops in the culture of the people, including clothing, crafts, music, dancing and language were offered all week long.
Though it is the massacre Fort Walsh is most widely known for, the Métis shaped history in the Southwest too, creating a unique segment of a national mosaic of cultural influence.
“The Métis were a very important presence in the Cypress Hills. Various native groups were using the hills and that led to a lot of conflict since there was a lot of fighting that took place,” Liborion explained.
And what that meant for the resource-rich Cypress Hills – a mecca of unique plants, medicines and food sources – was nearly an exodus.
“In the 1860s and the 1870s, the native groups avoided the Cypress Hills and the Métis were able to move in and they had quite a large camp and it even had its own church,” said Liborion. “You had these different nations coming in and it led to conflict. The Cypress Hills kind of became known as a place where you went to look for trouble. The void allowed the Métis to come in and they were then able to exploit the resources of the area.”
He says there were several camps and while not permanent, they would be used for two or three years at a time. Eventually, many Métis people were able to work for the North West Mounted Police as guides and translators.
Many of the Métis in the area hailed from Winnipeg and the Red River Valley and 2010 marks the 125th anniversary of the Riel Rebellion, which prompted many Métis to flee to the West. Some of those people made their home in the Southwest.
“There were Métis people living here up until and early 1900s,” said Liborion, adding that the area later was declared a Dominion Forest and the Métis were forced out.
Though the Métis have not traditionally been included in treaties, a debate will rages as to whether some treaties include Métis and whether all should. Manitoba has long recognized the cultural significance of the Métis and named its February holiday as Louis Riel Day.
Fort Walsh is gearing up for another special event – the 2010 Nez Perce Ride to Freedom, in conjunction with the Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada. Then, on July 10, Fort Walsh will host its annual Historic Trades Day, a popular event that features black smithing, gun smithing and all the other common jobs from the Fort’s era.
Receiving between 18,000 and 20,000 visitors annually, Fort Walsh is important to Canada’s national identity and to tourism economy of the Southwest.
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I was part of the Red River Cart Trek and it was so much fun. The Miywasin Center from Medicine Hat are disussing another one for next year. It should be that much better as it will be the second Trek.
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