Metis celebrate 35 years of going Back to Batoche

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Visitors to this year's 35th annual Back to Batoche celebrations, to be held at the Batoche National Historic Site in Saskatchewan from July 21 to 24, will have a chance to enjoy some events and activities that are perennial favourites, as well as some that are new to the mix.

The annual ball tournament is making a return engagement, and the voyageur games are back again this year. They'll be plenty of fiddling and jigging on the agenda and the Batoche Musical is also on the schedule, but there'll be one new event that is already proving popular among those planing to go Back to Batoche.

That new event is Metis Idol, a showcase for Metis talent that will see the winning performer receive a commitment from participating radio stations to play their demo tape on the air.

The response to the new event has been phenomenal. At press time, entries had been received from more than 130 performers wanting to vie for the Metis Idol crown.

Another new feature of this year's Back to Batoche is the way the annual event is now organized. While in past years the celebrations have been co-ordinated by the Metis Nation-Saskatchewan, those responsibilities have now been taken up by a national committee comprised of representatives of Metis organizations from across the country.

The new national approach is reflected in the line-up of entertainers scheduled to perform. While Saskatchewan's fiddler extraordinaire John Arcand is on the bill, so is 15-year-old Manitoba fiddler Sierra Noble and the Country Jammers from Alberta.

Batoche is also proving to be a draw for those who like to travel the old-fashioned way. Two different groups are voyaging to Batoche, one by Red River cart and the other by voyageur canoe.

The Red River Metis Heritage Group is travelling from San Clara, Man. to Batoche on the second leg of their trip, which started last year in St. Norbert, Man. The group is hoping to arrive in time for the opening of Back to Batoche.

Meanwhile, seven Metis youth travelling in a 26-foot voyageur canoe left Thunder Bay, Ont. on June 1 and have been following the historic trade routes that will lead them to Batoche, a trip of 2,300 kilometres that is expected to take eight weeks to complete.

For more information about Back to Batoche, call the national committee at (306) 270-6528 or visit www.metisnation-sask.com and click on the Batoche link.