By: Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Waka Recorder
Back to Batoche is the largest outdoor celebration of Métis identity, culture, values, and language. Visiting, trading, and sharing food are time-honoured traditions of the Métis, and Back to Batoche has been described as “the biggest family reunion in history.” As a result of colonization, traditional Métis land use was dramatically impacted, nevertheless, Métis have maintained a connection to their communities and sacred places, like the site of the Battle of Batoche. While the Métis people are spread across this nation, Batoche is the place that links them and calls them together.
Located adjacent to the Batoche National Historic Site, the annual celebration is held on the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) festival grounds. Back to Batoche is a family-friendly event that provides the opportunity to preserve and promote Métis culture through storytelling, fiddling, jigging, square dancing, traditional food, music, Métis artists, traditional land use teachings, voyageur games, chuck wagon racing, sports, contemporary games, and indigenous language. The age of attendees varies from new parents and Elders to newborns and teens and is a space to reconnect with friends and family and develop new relationships.
The Back to Batoche Festival, now known as Back to Batoche Days, is located in Batoche, Saskatchewan, the historic homeland of the Métis and began in 1970. For over 50 years, the four-day event has been an important opportunity to share Métis culture, build relationships, honour our Métis veterans, and connect to the land where our Métis heroes fought in the 1885 Northwest Resistance. As an internationally recognized Métis cultural celebration, Back to Batoche welcomes people from all over the world to come and learn the rich and resilient history of the Métis and the significant role they played in Canadian history.
Over the years, this four-day, in-person event has been an important opportunity to share Métis culture, build relationships, honour the Métis veterans, and connect to the land where Métis heroes fought in the 1885 Northwest Resistance. The annual celebration represents a movement toward reconciliation. It is a place for Métis and non-Métis people to gather and share in celebrating the Métis history, culture and language. This year’s celebration begins Thursday, July 18 and continues through Sunday, July 21. The Grand Opening is set to take place Friday morning, July 19th at the Main Stage.
Elder Norman Fleury once said, “Our culture has been shelved for a long time. We have laid it [on] shelves. It’s never been lost. It’s there. Now we are taking it back.”
Similarly, the Métis of Saskatchewan are set to take back their governance. Métis peoples emigrating from Manitoba to the South Saskatchewan River Valley wanted to assert their political authority. The St. Laurent Council’s first assembly was held on 10 December 1872, and Gabriel Dumont was elected president. As president of the Council of St. Laurent, Dumont oversaw a committee of elected councillors and assumed the role of mediator, working out disputes among the people of St. Laurent. He instituted a formalized constitution, transcribed by the local priest, Father André. Between 1873 and 1875 twenty-eight laws were updated to allow the Council to regulate and oversee various aspects of life in the North West Territories, including the hunt. The NWMP forced the dissolution of the Council in 1875. In March 1885, Dumont called the St. Laurent Métis to a meeting at Batoche where they resolved to form a new provisional government, the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan, to negotiate with Canada and defend Métis lands.
The Métis flag will adorn flagpoles, buildings, campers, and vehicles at Back to Batoche. It was first used by Métis resistance fighters in Rupert’s Land before the 1816 Battle of Seven Oaks. Both red and blue versions of the flag have been used to represent the political and military force of the Métis. Although the flag was not used in either the Red River Resistance of 1869 or the Northwest Resistance of 1885, the blue and white infinity flag was kept alive in oral traditions. With the 20th-century rebirth of Métis nationalism, the blue and white infinity flag was accepted by the Métis National Council as the official flag of the Métis Nation and flew proudly again. In 2013, the Métis National Council secured an official mark for the flag to protect it as a symbol of the Métis Nation and ensure its collective ownership by citizens of the Métis Nation. The Métis flag predates the Canadian Flag by at least 150 years and is the oldest patriotic flag in Canada.
Kishchi Maashinaayikun Ooshchi Michif – the Sacred Document from the Michif is a self-government agreement, a modern treaty, being negotiated with Canada that will constitutionally protect the right of self-government of the Métis in Saskatchewan, recognizing its jurisdiction over core governance matters. The historic treaties, also known as “Numbered Treaties,” were negotiated between the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples in the 18th and 19th centuries and excluded the Métis. Modern treaties are negotiated based on contemporary legal frameworks and principles, including constitutional rights and international standards such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). They are more comprehensive and detailed than historic treaties, addressing issues, such as self-government, resource management, economic development, cultural preservation, and social programs.
Métis elders wanted a way to refer to this important agreement that reflected the unique identity, culture, values, and language of Métis people. MN-S consulted the elders numerous times to discuss what the agreement would mean for the Métis people of Saskatchewan. Elders from all backgrounds, speaking various languages and dialects, unanimously chose the name “Kishchi Mashinaayikun Ooshchi Michif” and strongly feel that it represents a historic opportunity and reflects the importance of the agreement. On May 14th, 2024, the MN-S Provincial Métis Council voted unanimously to accept the name given by the elders.
The MN-S staff, regional representatives, and community leads travelled across the province to discuss the implications of a modern Treaty for the Nation and its citizens. Once the MN-S Provincial Métis Council and the Federal Government approved the document, they directed the negotiation teams to initial the document, allowing it to be shared publicly. MN-S staff, regional representatives, and community leads shared the document with citizens for review and feedback. Based on citizen input, the document was updated before returning to the negotiation table. When Canada and MN-S reached an agreement on the final version, it was passed by the Métis Nation Legislative Assembly. Subsequently, the document must be ratified by 75 percent of MN-S citizens aged 16 and above through voting. Following ratification, Kishchi Mashinaayikun Ooshchi Michif will undergo the federal parliamentary process for ratification by Canada. Once ratified by Canada, it will be signed by both Canada and the MN-S.
A tent dedicated to sharing information about the Sacred Document from the Michif will be at the Back to Batoche festival.