American World Traveler Summer 2017 Issue

Director, Vania Gagnon told us about Jean-
Baptist Lagimodière, a fur trader, and his
wife Marie-Anne Gabouray, who was the
first European woman to marry a French
Canadian and settle in Red River
(Winnipeg) in 1812. One of the couple’s
children married a man by the name of
Louis Riel, who had a son, named Louis
Riel, who became the founder of Manitoba.
And Vania Gagnon knows, as her maiden
name is Lagimodière and she is Louis Riel’s
first cousin, five times removed.
Darlene Wight at the WAG, the Winnipeg
Art Gallery, has an envious job. As the
Curator of Inuit Art, she not only travels to
various communities in northern Manitoba,
Ontario and Nunavut, but she brings back
Aboriginal myths conveyed through beautifully
carved sculptures, prints, drawings,
textiles, dolls and clothing. In fact the WAG
has the largest collection of Inuit Art in the
world. A small portion is on display in various
museum galleries while the others
(13,000 pieces in total) rest in a closed vault
(that I was allowed to visit), waiting for the
new Inuit Art Centre to open in 2019.
And for those looking for a more modest
collection of Indigenous art, Neechi
Commons is the place to go. Louise
Champagne, the President of the Co-op
explained that Neechi is a Cree word that
implies ‘relationships’ and community connections.
The Commons includes the
Neechi Niche consignment store (that
began as a way for locals to barter homemade
crafts, such as moccasins, for groceries),
Kookum’s (Grandmother’s) Bakery
that specializes in Bannock (the traditional
Indigenous Canadian bread), a grocery
store, and an entire wall featuring the works
of local artists, which also serves as a touch
of colour, charm and visual conversation for
the diners in the Bison Berry Restaurant. This
is where I had my Bonnie Burger, consisting
of a Bison patty with spinach, goat cheese,
mozzarella and sautéed onions, on a
Bannock Bun. It was so good and filling that
I couldn’t finish my delicious dessert of Wild
Rice Pudding!
For an exciting experience of a different
kind, Winnipeg’s Exchange District is a
National Historic Site containing the largest
collection of Heritage buildings on the continent.
Festivals, shops, art galleries, theatres
and restaurants are the hallmark of
the area. One of my favourite places for
lunch or dinner is the Peasant Cookery.
Aside from their excellent cocktails and wine
list, the food is simply amazing (try the King
Salmon).
In the days of the Fur Traders however, the
main food was Buffalo meat in the form of
Pemmican, a powder-like, high protein,
easy to carry, nutriment. Today, visitors can
learn about Buffalo first hand at Fort Whyte
Alive, just south of the city. On the Bison
Safari, visitors get up-close-and-personal
with 30 or so adult Bison and new-born
calves that are grazing, nursing, sleeping
and wallowing in the dirt.
And with Buffalo in mind, we visited the
Manitoba Museum where a life-size diorama
of a Métis Buffalo hunt near the
entrance ensures that visitors appreciate the
contribution of the Métis and the importance
of the buffalo to the history of the
province. The Museum collection includes
some 26,000 artifacts from the Hudson’s
Bay Company, along with exhibits that
showcase the Inuit as well as First Nations
such as the Dene, Algonquin, Cree,and
Ojibway.
In an effort to dispel the believe that
Canadian tourism consists of “Mounties,
Mountains and Moose”, the Oak Hammock
Marsh, about 40 minutes north of
Winnipeg, offers a fascinating adventure
into wetlands, wildlife and wonderment.
This is where I learned that my wing span
(actually my stretched-out arms) was the
same as a Great Grey Owl, which coincidentally
is the Provincial Bird of Manitoba.
On the boardwalk through the marsh, we
feasted on the cucumber/watermelon taste
of cattail stems, as well as the sights and
sounds of Redhead Ducks, Green-winged
Teals, Red-winged Blackbirds, American
White Pelicans and Tree Swallows. While the
muskrats and beavers seemed to be sleeping
in their dens, a colony of Richardson’s
Ground Squirrels was actively scampering
in and out of their burrows.
One of the highlights of my visit was
45
the ‘Bird in the Hand Experience’ that
involves banding birds. After their capture
in special nets, each bird has it’s leg fitted
with an identification band, their wing
length measured and their belly fat checked
to see if they are about to migrate or have
just completed part of the migratory route
that stretches from the Yukon to the Gulf of
Mexico. The birds are then weighed and
released. I was thrilled to personally hold
and release two tiny Yellow-rumped
Warblers.
But without doubt, one of Winnipeg’s main
attractions is the Canadian Museum for
Human Rights. The stunning design by
Antoine Predock fulfilled the architect’s
three goals: to showcase Canada, to welcome
the people of the world into the building,
and to have the design incorporate the
perspective of the Indigenous people.
Connecting the earth to the sky, the building
design features four roots representing
Mother Earth, prairie grasses, a cloud that
mimics the wings of a dove (and represents
peace), all rising to the Tower of Hope.
Throughout the Museum galleries, the
theme that “All human beings are born free
and equal in dignity and rights” is presented
with a reassuring sub-theme of “moving
from darkness to light”. For visitors who
take the Indigenous Mikinak-Keya Spirit
Tour, they will learn about the Seven Sacred
Animals and their teachings that are found
throughout the building: The Buffalo
(Respect), Eagle (Love), Bear (Courage),
Sabe (Honesty), Beaver (Wisdom), Wolf
(Humility) and Turtle (Truth). This is a
Museum experience like none other.
And when you experience Winnipeg you
quickly come to realize that this is a city like
no other. Winnipeg is a vibrant, exciting city
that responds to the needs and special
interests of visitors and provides opportunities
at every step for physical, visual and
spiritual connections with the land of the
people.
www.travelmanitoba.com
American World Traveler Summer 2017