MNO Representatives Attend Back to Batoche
Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) leaders and citizens attended the annual Back to Batoche festival in Saskatchewan to celebrate Métis history.
The event marks the decisive 1885 Battle of Batoche.
The festival first began in 1970 as a way to showcase Métis history and culture. This year, it took place from July 19 to 22.
The annual event included fiddle music and square dance and jigging competitions, as well as Voyageur Games including the hatchet throw, slingshot, log carry and flour sack carry.
Métis youth operated a MNO pavilion during the festival, teaching about beadwork and speaking about the history of Ontario Métis communities.
On July 22, the MNO Veterans’ Council participated in a procession from the festival grounds to the cemetery of the Batoche National Historic Park for a mass to remember those who fought in the 1885 Northwest Resistance.
MNO Veterans’ Council Chair Brian Black and veterans from across the homeland carried flags during the procession. Black participated in the opening ceremony, the weekend’s activities and the closing ceremonies at the Batoche National Historic Site of Canada grave site.
As the parade marched into the graveyard, an eagle flew directly overhead.
Throughout the weekend, family togetherness and fellowship were abundant.