The Sundre and District Historical Society has ramped up efforts to not only recognize and celebrate the local Métis community’s contributions, but to also record and document oral histories for generations to come.
Part of that process involved an official rededication ceremony and celebration on Saturday that started at the Sundre and District Museum before moving over to the Elks Hall. The latter hosted activities including live music and story sharing, a beef stew and traditional bannock bread lunch, followed by some Métis dance performances and an opportunity to mix and mingle.
The rededication celebration — attended by about 60 people including MLA Jason Nixon, Mayor Terry Leslie, the municipality’s chief administrative officer Linda Nelson, who has Métis roots, Audrey Poitras, provincial president of Métis Nation, Lawrence Gervais, president Region 3, Judy Gentes, vice president Region 3, and Doreen Bergum, Métis 3 region elder — got started with a grand march. Following prayers and the singing of the Métis Nation’s anthem, the celebration, which was MCed by the historical society’s chairperson Bruce Temple, moved to the Elks Hall, where additional activities were attended by about 50 people. Overall, more than 100 attended the day’s events.t
Those who came out had the opportunity to hear from five Métis storytellers who volunteered to share their personal family stories about how and why they came to Sundre.
Jaime Marr, the museum’s executive director, said during an interview she hoped people would meet and engage with the members of the Métis Nation, along the way perhaps learning from one another.
“We have a great relationship with Doreen Bergum,” the Métis Elder for Region 3 who lives in Olds, said Marr.
“Her family lives in Sundre, along with 32 other families who came into this community,” she said.
“We are rich with resources and people.”
Following the donation of a storyboard from the Bergum family to the museum’s collection, Marr began to brainstorm ideas to modify the space to accommodate a dedicated Métis display to honour the culture’s roots and contributions in the Sundre area.
What initially started as an effort to update the display evolved into exploring ways to collect oral histories. That led to a desire to celebrate with local and area Métis friends and families whose stories are not adequately documented in the history books, she said.
“People still don’t know the story of the Métis.”
A display had originally been set up in 2011 with a big celebration, but had not changed since then. Following a recent request from members of a Métis family to update the exhibit, Marr decided to prepare plans for the new display.
“The historical society and museum recognize that we need to tell their story,” she said, adding the Métis Nation has its own culture, language and culinary specialties.
Marr expressed her gratitude to the Métis Nation, the Sundre Elks, which made the hall available at no charge, as well as the IGA for partnering to help make the rededication ceremony possible.
Humble Pie Productions, which does video documentaries, also partnered with the museum to collect the oral histories shared by the Métis, she said.
“This is going to be a long-term project.”
The documentary filmmakers were to meet with Métis families, and eventually transcribe as well as digitize and then save their oral stories for posterity, she said.
“I’m thrilled to see the historical society and the museum taking these steps forward.”
