Batoche site to mark Dumont anniversary

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One hundred years have passed since Gabriel Dumont died in 1906 at the age of 69 and the Batoche National Historic Site of Canada is planning a celebration this summer to mark the occasion.

"Dumont was a significant figure in the history of the Metis people," said Mark Calette, site manager at the Batoche site northeast of Saskatoon. "He was an entrepreneur, a warrior in battle, a captain on the buffalo hunt and a tireless community leader for the rights of his people. But we are also remembering and celebrating the gentle, everyday side of the man, a side less known." Dumont's generosity is legendary and visitors never left his house with out being fed, Calette said. "He was truly a humanitarian."

Dumont was born in 1837 and distinguished himself at a young age by leading the fight for Metis rights against government surveyors and land speculators. As Louis Riel's adjutant-general, he forced the North West Mounted Police to retreat in the battle at Duck Lake. During the Battle of Batoche, he almost single-handedly held troops back, allowing many of his men to escape to safety when the Metis ran short of ammunition. Following the Metis defeat at Batoche he found refuge in the United States working in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

"Dumont returned to Canada and settled in Quebec, where he wrote his memoirs. He was pardoned by the Crown in 1889 because the government felt that with Riel?s execution, the Metis were no longer a threat, and he then returned to Batoche," Calette said.

The memoirs, which have been assembled in book form and rest in storage at Batoche, have given historians and descendents a valuable glimpse into the great leader's thoughts.

"This year, during the annual Back to Batoche Days from July 20 to 23, we're holding a community appreciation day on the Saturday," said Calette, who is proud to claim a distant heritage with the Dumont family. "This is the biggest celebration across the Metis homeland, which is from Ontario to B.C. And on this 100th anniversary of Dumont's passing the events are even more exciting. There will be wagon rides, singing, jigging, good food and cultural events."

Perhaps the most impressive event of the day will be the reinstallation of a valued piece of Metis history. A pool table upon which Dumont, Riel and many others involved in the early days of settlement played numerous games will once again become part of the fixtures at the site. The table had originally stood within the trading store Dumont ran at a site near Batoche that became known as Gabriel's Crossing.

"It was hauled away by the military as spoils of war after the 1885 battle and languished in storage all these years at the Rockwood Institution, which was part of the Stony Mountain Penitentiary in Manitoba," Calette said. In 1988 it was returned to Parks Canada and Batoche was chosen as the obvious place for it to be displayed.

"There's a story about Riel enjoying a game on it at Dumont's and Riel had to actually end up spotting Dumont a few balls, as the latter didn?t quite measure up to his reputation as the best pool player around," Calette said.

Too often the early Metis people are pictured as being fighters and rebels, Calette said. "But in truth, the whole story is not being told. They were wonderful entrepreneurs, they had a unique language and culture, and they had fun in facilities like Dumont's stopping place, where they could tell stories, shoot a game of pool, dance and sing," said Calette. "As a Metis person myself, it's important to think about what those early families did and the lives they led, and to realize that the battle of 1885 was only part of what our history includes."

Calette said that after the unsuccessful rebellion, the Metis community at Batoche recovered and there was prosperity in the area during the 1890s. Many young Metis settled on farms around Batoche, while others worked as interpreters, scouts and labourers for the North West Mounted Police, who tablished barracks in Batoche in 1888. Today, visitors to the historic site, located approximately 88 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, can see the restored headquarters of Louis Riel's provisional government. The site depicts the lifestyles of the Metis of Batoche between 1860 and 1900 including the trails they walked, their homes, their church and the history of the 1885 rebellion.

"The pool table is a symbol of homecoming, which is what the Back to Batoche annual celebration is all about," Calette said. "We urge everyone to recognize the significance of the event, and of the 100th anniversary of Dumont's death, by including July 20 to 23 in holiday plans this year. Watch our Web site at www.parkscanada.ca or call us at (306) 423-6227 to be informed about our full calendar of events. It's going to be a celebration to remember."