Metis Day celebrated in style in Lloydminster

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They were Metis - proud of it - and definitely not shy about showing it.

For the more than 100 people who showed up to join in the merriment at the second annual Border City Metis Day Celebration, it was a special chance to share in that pride, heritage and identity.

"For us, it's something that's very real. A strong Metis identity with its own unique roots and robust flavor," said Leora La Fleur, a Metis from Prince Albert. "They are here because they are proud of their distinct heritage, something they don't want to lose. It's also a very special day on the calendar for our Metis Elders because it takes them back in time. Back to the way things used to be when they were young."

Held on the grounds and lake at Bud Miller Park, the festivities also attracted the attention of park visitors, many of whom stopped to watch the jigging, log sawing and canoe races and listen to the hooting, laughing and enthusiastic shouts of encouragement. But it was the pie eating contest and splashy water works that really brought down the house. As if getting a pie in the face wasn't enough, volunteers from the Native Friendship Centre also had to face the perils of being dropped in the dunk tank. Cost, one loonie, in exchange for two balls and the privilege of trying to hit the bull's eye and totally soaking a LNFC board member, with all proceeds going to Lloydminster's new First Nations Youth Centre.

"On a more serious note, Metis Day is a time to celebrate our heritage with voyageur-type activities that reflect our past," explained La Fleur.

A past that some would say was inevitable, according to La Fleur.

"Nothing could stop the mixing of the blood and cultures of the French, Irish, English, Scottish, Plains and Woodland Cree. Men came out West on their own in the early days. Hudson's Bay men who married full status Native women and gave birth to the Metis Nation. Today, we celebrate the different types of work they had to do as well as the practical wisdom and know-how of our Native ancestors. The bison hunters, trappers, fur traders and fishermen who helped to open up the west for settlement. Men who could handle the large freight canoes and difficult portages, hauling goods and services to the trading posts. Well-seasoned guides who knew the secrets of the waterways, the land and the animals."

Visitors were given a blast from the past with an old-time fiddling show by Norman and the Benson Band that included jigging, a combination of Scottish, Irish and Plains Cree round dance steps, and fast spinning country reels like the duck and rabbit dances in which the dancers imitated the quick jumping movements of the animals.

Metis traditional men's clothing, including red sashes, high- top moccasins and tartan shirts, added a colorful note to the day's activities as did the embroidered blouses and long frilly skirts of the square dancers.

Old-time outdoor activities for the kids included tug of war, three legged races, sack hopping, nail driving and all the berry pie and bannock they could eat.

"The Metis culture originally combined three languages, French, Cree and English in a dialect called Michif, still in use today by Elders in the northern communities. Traditional foodstuffs like bison pemmican, wild rice, bear lard and chokecherries from the Cree, bannock from Scotland, bouellets - country meatballs and gravy from France - Irish stew and saskatoon berry pies all found their way onto Metis tables. For the great bison hunts in the 1800s, black powder muskets replaced bows and arrows. Rough-hewn Red River carts pulled by oxen took the place of the Native travois, traditionally hauled by dogs and horses. They are all part of the heritage we honor today."

La Fleur, who is paddling in new waters in her third month as program co-ordinator for the Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre, said that one of the purposes of showcasing traditional activities like canoe racing, pie eating and log sawing was to make the communit as a whol more aware of a rich Metis cultural heritage that is alive, well and kicking in Lloydminster.