St. Laurent residents are invited to relive the exhibition that put the Manitoba Metis town on the map.
The exhibit St. Laurent created for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian has come home, and exhibit creators are now hoping for a place to display it permanently.
When the National Museum of the American Indian opened in 2000, it came to St. Laurent to showcase Metis culture. Jacinthe Lambert was one of five locals who put together the Smithsonian museum exhibit, showcasing Metis culture in each of the four seasons.
Through filmed interviews, the life the Metis people of St. Laurent live was shown in winter, spring, summer, and fall, winter being the main focus to showcase the importance of commercial ice fishing in the community. The Michif language was also shown, along with a few artifacts and other items with cultural significance.
After working on the exhibit for four years, the National Museum of the American Indian opened in 2004. More than 150 people from St. Laurent made the trek to Washington, DC, to attend the grand opening. Among them were Lambert and the eight, ten, and twelve-year-old Gaudry Boys.
The Metis exhibit created by St. Laurent residents was on display at the National Museum of the American Indian for 11 years, compared to the typical five to ten years a permanent display is shown. According to the Smithsonian, more than 17,500,000 people visited the National Museum of the American Indian during that time.
After a 20-year celebration, the exhibition has come home, and Lambert is part of the team looking for a permanent space to display it. They’ve been working for years to get funding to purchase a building for a museum, but to no avail so far, so on March 8, they’re hosting a celebration evening that doubles as a fundraiser for the project.
Dr. Cynthia Chavez Lamar has been to St. Laurent numerous times, and Lambert said every time she comes, it’s because she wants to. She told Lamar that she genuinely likes the town, and whenever she comes back, she makes it feel like St. Laurent is part of a bigger community.
The event will feature special guest Dr. Cynthia Chavez Lamar, director of the National Museum of the American Indian. It will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the St. Laurent Recreation Centre and will give attendees the opportunity to view the 2004 exhibition, enjoy a traditional light lunch, and listen to music by The Gaudry Boys. Tickets for the evening are $20 each and are available for purchase at the municipal office.
The museum in question would feature not only the exhibit from the National Museum of the American Indian but also other pieces of Red River Metis culture and history. Lambert said it would ideally also include a stage for traditional performances and rooms where they can teach Michif, crafts, dancing, and more.
“We have such a unique story to tell,” said Lambert. “We want to tell our story of the Metis people. We were recognized by the Smithsonian, an international museum. To be chosen to be part of that museum…the pride, it changed us.”
