Guide to Indian Country - June, 2005 Wikwemikong celebrates with cultural festival First Nations committee to successful summer games Riel's life celebrated Kasabonika catches the eye of tourists Crown-maker says beading is her medicine Centennial event celebrates history of Cypress Hills Arctic cruises provide unique experience Trail leads back to Batoche

WINDSPEAKER'S ABORIGINAL TOURISM SUPPLEMENT Phone: (780) 455-2700Fax (780) 455-7639 Email: edwind@ammsa.com Riel's life celebrated By Cheryl Petten, Windspeaker Staff Writer During his life, Louis Riel left his mark on many communities across Canada. It was in Montreal that he attended school. In Batoche, Sask. he led his followers in battle. In Regina, he was imprisoned, tried and hanged for high treason. But it was in the small French community of Saint-Boniface, Man. where Riel was born, where he grew up, where he was married, and where his body was laid to rest in 1885. The community of Saint-Boniface, now part of the city of Winnipeg, wears its connections to Louis Riel with pride. Visitors to Saint-Boniface Cathedral can pay their respects to Riel, as his tomb can be found within the cathedral cemetery, located at 190 Avenue de la Cathedrale. Visitors to the tomb can also take in a presentation of In Riel's Footsteps, a play produced by the Saint-Boniface Cathedral parish and the Riel Tourism Bureau. Part theatre, part guided tour, the 45-minute presentation features actors in period costumes bringing to life the experiences of French and Metis settlers and the stories of Riel and others who found their final resting place in the cemetery. In Riel's Footprints runs from July 2 to Sept. 4. It is presented in English each Wednesday at 2 p.m. and Thursday through to Sunday at 4 p.m. French presentations of the play are offered Wednesdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. There is no production on Monday or Tuesday. For reservations and ticket prices call (204) 8343 or 1-866-808-8838. Right next door to the cathedral is the Saint Boniface Museum, home to what is arguably the most extensive collection of artifacts relating to the life and death of Louis Riel. The museum's exhibit, Louis Riel-Son of Red River, Father of Manitoba, features a number of items that once belonged to Riel. "In that exhibit we have the steamer trunk he used when he was 14 years old when he went away to school in Montreal," said Dr. Philippe Mailhot, director of the museum. "We have the coffin in which his body was placed immediately after his execution. We have the white hood or cap that was placed over his head and face when he was actually hanged. We have the cribbage board that used to while away the hours with one of the members of the North West Mounted Police in the last few days before his execution. We have the moccasins that were removed from his feet after execution and kept as souvenirs, reuniting them for the first time three years ago." The collection also includes Riel's toque, three locks of his hair-two from his head, one from his beard-his shaving kit and pieces of his suspenders, taken and cut up as souvenirs after his death. A musket taken from one of the Metis killed during the Battle of Batoche and a rifle, like the ones used by the Canadian troupes during that battle, are also on display. There are also several images in the exhibit, alongside quite a bit of text written about Riel, Philippe Mailhot said. "The exhibit is only say, 100, 150 square feet, if that. People will come in and they'll spend 45 minutes to an hour here just in that one corner, reading absolutely everything that's there and looking at every object." Many of the items in the Riel exhibit were donated to the museum by the Saint-Boniface Historical Society, which in turn received them from the Riel family. Some of the items have been provided to the museum by the Manitoba Metis Federation. Still others have come from individuals or other museums that, because of the growing reputation of the Saint-Boniface Museum and its collection, have donated their items. The museum boasts a number of other items celebrating Metis heritage in general, including an excellent collection of Metis beadwork and a full-sized Red River cart. The museum building itself can also be counted among them. "We're in the oldest building in the city of Winnipeg," Mailhot said. "It's the former convent of the Grey Nuns, and it's an outstanding example of Red River frame construction, which of course was the principal means of construction out here in the west used by the Metis. And so it in itself, the building, is probably a significant artifact, built by Metis labor with wood prepared by Metis lumberjacks." The museum, located at 494 Tache Ave., is open year-round, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from noon until 4 p.m. on Sundays. During the summer months, the museum is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturdays and extended hours on Sundays from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. For more information about the Saint-Boniface Museum, call (204) 237-4500. You can also find a statue of Riel in Saint-Boniface, at the College universitaire de Saint-Boniface. The statue, designed by artist Marcien Lemay, is a symbolic more than representational portrayal of the Metis leader. The sculpture of a naked, tortured Riel, first unveiled in 1971, originally stood on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature, but after much protest from people who saw the statue as undignified, the work was replaced in 1994 by a more traditional portrayal of Riel, designed by Miguel Joyal. The old statue was relocated to the grounds of the college. Those interested in all things Riel can find many places to go and things to see outside of the borders of Saint-Boniface as well. The Riel family home in nearby St. Vital has been designated a national historic site. Riel House, located along the east side of the Red River, was occupied by descendants of Riel until 1969, but has been restored to the way it would have looked in the spring following Riel's death. This was the house where Riel's body lay in state for two days in December 1885, and has been presented for visitors as a house in mourning. A black cross is mounted on the roof; a photo of Riel that hangs in the living room is draped in black crepe. In addition to commemorating Riel, the house also provides visitor with a glimpse into what life might have been like in a Metis household in 1886. Riel House National Historic Site is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from mid-May until the Labour Day weekend in September. For more information about the site, call (204) 257-1783.