Metis exhibit to be revived at museum
An exhibit celebrating the Metis culture, one that hasn’t been seen for years, will be brought back for the public to see this spring at Welland Museum.
The museum on Saturday hosted Metis Day to celebrate the unique culture and its people — and to give people a glimpse of its exhibit that has been closed for several years.
Saturday’s sneak peek featured presentations, art and a variety of artifacts.
Museum curator and manager Penny Morningstar said what was on display Saturday took about 18 months to assemble, with the support of different Indigenous groups as well as a Canada 150 grant.
“We’re really fortunate to be a host site where so much cultural knowledge can be shared,” she said.
Most of the museum’s contents had to be moved off- site for an extensive renovation project. A formal relaunch of the Metis exhibit will be promoted on social media in the near future before its May opening.
“Spirits are high, and excitement is building for us to get back to having it open full time,” said Morningstar.
The Metis are an Indigenous people who resulted from the relations of Indigenous women and European men and has been referred to as a form of ethnogenesis by historians.
Derrick Pont, Niagara Regional Metis Council president, said many of his people were in hiding after the execution of their leader Louis Riel, who stood up against the Canadian government because he felt it was interfering with his people’s rights and way of life.
The government defeated the Metis at the Siege of Batoche. Riel was captured, put on trial, convicted of treason and executed.
This led to Metis people being labelled as traitors and, Pont said, many of them felt ashamed and hid their heritage from others.
He said events like the one hosted by the museum Saturday, along with the efforts made by other groups in the country, are vital to the nation’s identity.
“We do whatever we can to bring back that awareness — and to try and bring back a part of Canadian history that was lost for so many years,” said Pont.
He said times have changed significantly and Metis people are regarded today as having an incredibly distinct heritage and story behind their culture.
For many years in the late 19th century, if authorities saw a Metis person in any type of danger, it likely wouldn’t be much of a priority for them, according to Pont.
“The local police would turn the other way if a Metis was being beaten, tarred and feathered in the street,” he said.
Pont said there are about 400 Niagara families registered with the Ontario Metis Council and he said there are many more who have not filed with the group.
He said most Niagara- based Metis people were fur traders, but due to the close proximity of the U. S. border, most business is believed to have been done with American companies.
Brian Kon, also a member of the Niagara Metis Council, on Saturday shared his talent and knowledge of dot art with people who visited the King Street museum.
Derivative of the beadwork that Metis people were known for, Kon said, the form of art isn’t traditional but follows the concepts of what the people were all about with their appearance, a lot of it involving floral patterns.
“As much as possible, I try to replicate patterns I find on antiques and clothing,” he said.