Stony Mountain students enjoyed a first-hand experience of how it feels to travel by Red River cart in celebration of Louis Riel Day.
In Manitoba, Louis Riel Day takes place on the third Monday of February, so this year it fell on Feb. 17.
Born in 1844, Riel was the oldest son of a Métis family from St. Boniface. He played an important role in the Red River resistance and drafted the list of rights that formed the basis of the Manitoba Act, which the Parliament of Canada passed in 1870.
Riel was recognized in 1992 by the Canadian government as one of the Fathers of Confederation, and he’s also widely known as the Father of Manitoba.
In recognition of Louis Riel Day, the Stony Mountain local of the Manitoba Métis Federation teamed up with Red River cart-makers Armand and Kelly Jerome to bring history to life at Stony Mountain School on Feb. 12 and 13.
Students had the opportunity to watch a video about a journey that Armand participated in about 20 years ago when he travelled with a group by Red River cart from St. Norbert, Man., all the way to Batoche, Sask. It was one of many Red River cart excursions for Armand, who estimates he’s travelled more than 4,800 kilometres (3,000 miles) in the traditional carts over the decades.
Then the hands-on excitement began. The duo brought a deconstructed half-size cart to the school so classes could have the chance to construct it together piece by piece. Each wooden component was numbered, so the process followed a logical progression. All the while, the students learned about the history and significance of this historic mode of transportation.
Amid much excitement, the students added the wheels in one of the final steps — and then they took turns riding in the fully functional cart while their classmates took turns acting as horses to pull the apparatus.
Armand shared with the Tribune some history of Red River carts, as well as how he became interested in building them.
“At one time, the Red River settlement was land-locked and there were no roads or trains yet at the time, so the only way to get here was portaging. There were around 60 to 80 portages from Thunder Bay to here,” he explained.
“When the fur trade started, basically all you needed was canoes. Then as time went on, the fur trade started to fade away. As a people from the European and native descendants, the Métis stayed here and created a culture. They needed a way to transport their families and goods, so the first carts were made in Pembina in 1801. The Red River cart was so important because the Métis invented it.”
Tribune Photos by Jennifer McFee
Red River cart-makers Armand and Kelly Jerome to bring history to life at Stony Mountain School on Feb. 12 and 13
Certain aspects make the Red River cart unique, he added, such as wheels that are dished outwards for stability.
“Different mechanics work together to make a Red River cart. It has no metal parts, so the wheels run on a wooden axle. They squeak because of the wood on wood, but you can’t use grease or lubrication on them because dust will accumulate and actually wear the axle down quicker,” he said.
“The axles are seasoned oak, so they’re very hard and almost like metal. They didn’t have metal bands for the hubs, so they needed to find a wood that would survive cracking and splitting — and elm was the best for that. The rest of the cart is mainly oak, but you can also substitute ash.”
Armand has honed his cart-building craft over more than two decades, and he tested out his creations over many long-distance journeys.
“Our first carts had all kinds of problems. We followed some fundamental plans, but they didn’t work right. They would study them and check on them every night to see what was wearing or why we’d have breakdowns,” he said. “It was basically trial and error — and many miles of actually driving them.”
Over time, he perfected the art of the cart and he now builds them in a shop north of Oakbank as a way to embrace his Métis heritage.
“The reason I’m doing it is because I never knew who I was. My parents are still part of that older group who didn’t say who they were. I didn’t know much about it but when I grew up, I started to learn about my past — and I learned that I’m related to Louis Riel. My grandmother was from the Lagimodiere part of that family,” he said.
“Because everything was hidden from me for part of my life, I wanted to express my Métis culture. The Red River carts are a way to showcase that culture.”
Along with the journeys they experienced with other cart-building enthusiasts, would also sometimes visit seniors’ homes and hospitals to share the carts with older generations.
“The only thing that was missing was the younger kids. So we came across the idea to build a half-size cart identical to the big ones and have the students put it together,” he said.
“That way, we could spread the culture to the younger ones. Because the Red River carts are easy to take apart and put together, it was the perfect type of activity to do.”
Clearly, the Stony Mountain students enjoyed the experience too. They cheered each other on while travelling around the school gym in the carts they built themselves, urging their trotting classmates with shouts of “giddyup” and “whoa.”
And members of Stony Mountain’s Métis community also came out to enjoy the event, which included raising the Métis flag outside the school.
Larry Flett, chair of the Stony Mountain MMF local, explained how the Métis culture is experiencing a revival in the community.
The Stony Mountain MMF local launched in the 1970s but fizzled out about 20 years later. Now it’s up and running again with a renewed sense of vigour.
“We got it going again about 18 months ago. It’s not like the Métis were ever out of the community, but the local wasn’t active,” Flett said.
“Now we’re active again and we have about 80 members that are part of the Stony Mountain local.”
In the past year and a half, the Stony Mountain local has shared Métis culture with the community through jigging at the rec centre and a special appearance of the Red River cart in a parade. In September, they continued to raise awareness during the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“There was a time when no one wanted to be Métis, but it’s coming back again. Now we’ve got lots of good people that want to keep the local going,” said Flett, a survivor of the Sixties Scoop who moved to Stony Mountain 44 years ago.
“It’s great to see the excitement of the kids at the school. They couldn’t get into the cart fast enough.”
Savannah Smolders, a Grade 3/4 teacher at Stony Mountain School, also shared her enthusiasm about the experience.
“As a Métis educator, I was thrilled to collaborate with Kelly and Armand Jerome from Jerome Cartworks. They were incredibly easy to work with in terms of scheduling and communication, and their engaging approach made the experience truly enjoyable for the students,” she said.
“In our classroom, we incorporate the Manitoba Métis Federation’s Michif Word of the Day into our routine and are continually working to integrate Indigenous teachings. Having students engage firsthand with Métis culture and history in an authentic way creates meaningful, lasting learning experiences.”
This hands-on approach also directly connects to the Manitoba Social Studies curriculum, she added, which reinforces the importance of cultural understanding and education.
