LE SAVIEZVOUS? DID YOU KNOW?

Sharon Parenteau, General Manager of the Louis Riel Institute and a University of Winnipeg Métis history professor, traces the major stages in the creation of Manitoba from the first settlements along the banks of the Red River to the province's current boundaries.

With its central geographic location, Manitoba also plays a key role in Canadian history and was the birthplace of the

Otipemisiwak, or "the people who own themselves," a Nation born at the fork of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, at the crossroads of Indigenous peoples and "old world" settlers. "Naturally, the French voyageurs who came from Quebec and the English and Scottish employees of the Hudson's Bay Company married Indigenous women and had many children as they crossed the country, following the fur trade. So there was a lot of intermingling. However, it was only when they arrived at the Red River Colony that they really settled down and chose to live together. Given that they all spoke different languages — Cree, French, Gaelic and Ojibway – they developed their own language, which is how the Métis Nation was born." For Sharon Parenteau, that ledgling nation's founding act was the Michif language. "Researchers from around the world now come to study the language, a blend of French and Cree, because it is a unique example of language created by a people to overcome its differences. From the 1700s up until 1869, the Red River Métis developed their own culture and settled around Catholic French‐ speaking and Protestant and Presbyterian English‐speaking parishes. At the height of its history, 85 per cent of the Red River population was Métis." And it is this people, united despite its differences, that again defended a common interest when its history took a dramatic turn. "In 1869, the newly founded Canada decided to expand its territory westward, buying back land from the Hudson's Bay Company. The Métis saw the arrival of surveyors sent by the Ottawa government to identify parcels of land, land on which the Métis were already living! That was the beginning of the Red River Resistance. We consider this resistance rather than rebellion, given that, at that time, the land did not belong to Canada: the Métis were simply defending their property." Aware that time was of the essence, the Métis formed a provisional government, presided over by Louis Riel in December 1869. The following month, a major convention was held. "The Convention consisted of two elected members from each parish, giving equal representation to Francophones and Anglophones, who worked together to draft a declaration of Métis rights. Those of icials set aside their differences, even religious ones, to defend the rights of an entire people, including the use of both French and English as of icial languages. On February 20, 1870, the Convention sent a delegation of three representatives to Ottawa to negotiate the territory’s entrance as a province into the Confederation. They returned with the

Manitoba Act, which contained most of the Métis claims." However, as history has shown, those promises were not kept. So the Métis led, fearing for their lives. But what is now Manitoba remains their cradle. "From across the country, from Ontario to British Columbia, the Métis nation has its roots in Manitoba," says Sharon Parenteau. "It's actually one of the conditions for being recognized as Métis, even today: being able to trace one's ancestry to the Red River Colony." The Métis therefore brought Manitoba into the contemporary history of Canada. "Without our ancestors, who knows? Perhaps this area would have become part of the United States, something that was being considered back then. Without their involvement, the French language would undoubtedly not have been of icially recognized in the province, also to the detriment of Michif. We owe them our history and, more importantly, our future." Un aperçu de la culture métisse réalisé avec l’aide de Lawrence Barkwell, historien-chercheur à l’Institut Louis-Riel. Symbole de l’identité métisse, la ceinture fléchée est très souvent mal nouée par nombre de ceux qui la portent aujourd’hui. « Ils la nouent sur le côté, quand le noeud devrait être sur le devant. Seuls ceux qui montaient à cheval la nouaient sur la gauche, pour des raisons pratiques. » Apportée par les employés de la Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson qui traitaient avec les Métis, la ceinture fléchée est rapidement devenue un signe distinctif de statut social en fonction de sa largeur, de sa couleur et de sa longueur. « Un peu comme le nombre de perles brodées sur les vestes de peau : plus il y en avait, plus l’homme qui portait la veste était important. » Quant à la raison d’être de la ceinture fléchée, elle est bien plus prosaïque : « Elle sert à maintenir attaché le capot de laine pendant l’hiver, tout simplement. Elle n’est jamais portée pendant l’été, si ce n’est pour les cérémonies importantes. » Et en parlant de capot, les franges dont il est orné, quoique décoratives, ont elles aussi une fonction très pratique. « En mitchif, on les appelle les chutes d’eau, puisqu’elles servent à évacuer l’eau loin du corps plus facilement! » A glimpse of Métis culture, prepared with the help of Lawrence Barkwell, a historical researcher at the Louis Riel Institute. The ceinture fléchée, or arrow sash that is symbolic of Métis identity, is often improperly tied by many who wear it today. "They tie it on the side, whereas the knot should be in the front. Only people who rode horseback tied it on the left side for practical reasons." Brought by Hudson's Bay Company employees dealing with the Métis, the arrow sash quickly became a symbol of social status, depending on its colour, length, and width.

"Similar to the number of beads embroidered on the buckskin jackets, the more there were, the more important the man wearing it." The rationale behind the arrow sash is much more prosaic: "It was basically used to keep the long hooded wool blanket coats (capotes or capots) closed in winter. The sash was never worn in the summer, except for important ceremonies." The decorative fringes on the capotes also had a very practical function. "In Michif, they were called waterfalls because they helped deflect water away from the body!"