Batoche unveils new exhibit to tell larger Métis story
In a valley just metres from the South Saskatchewan River at the Batoche National Historic Site sits a newly minted modern wood and steel exhibit.
With sweeping views of the river, the recently constructed observation viewing platform and family garden are inscribed with plaques, graphics and information telling the story of the East Village site, which was the commercial sector of the region.
Working alongside a management board staffed with Métis people, Parks Canada was eager to expand on the deeper teachings of the Métis people who once thrived in the area and that many call home.
“The reality of it is that pre-1885, you had a thriving Métis community that lived here and post-1885, it was the same thing,” Adriana Bacheschi, manager of the Batoche National Historic Site said following the official unveiling Saturday morning. “People just didn’t fight, lose the battle and disappear … and we had to find better ways to tell the larger Métis story.”