NationTalk: Sault Ste. Marie, ON – the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Council celebrated the grand opening of the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Heritage Centre, the first of its kind in Ontario.
The Heritage Centre will serve as a permanent home for the stories and legacy of the historic and contemporary Métis community in Sault Ste. Marie. It features two permanent exhibits: “Born Upon the Soil: The Sault Ste. Marie Métis Experience” and “Remembering the Powley Case,” which honours the landmark legal victory that affirmed Métis rights in Canada. The Centre will also house meeting rooms, a makers’ space for cultural enrichment, a gift shop showcasing unique creations by Métis artisans and the “My Little Riverlot” early learning play space.
The Sault Ste. Marie Métis Heritage Centre is a vital investment in preserving and promoting Métis culture in Northern Ontario. The Centre will protect two heritage buildings, ensuring they remain an integral part of the city’s future while providing a space where the Métis story will be shared for generations to come.
“This Heritage Centre is a celebration of our Métis history and a place where our community and visitors can come together,” said Mitch Case, Councilor for the Huron-Superior Regional Métis Community. “It’s an investment that will contribute to the growth of both our culture and the local economy. And it is an investment in reconciliation, which first requires the sharing of truth. The exhibits at the Heritage Centre make that abundantly clear, and stand as a testament to the strength and resilience of our people to overcome displacement, denial, and adversity,”
“This Heritage Centre is a physical reminder of our Community’s history in Sault Ste. Marie, a reminder that down-town Sault Ste. Marie is built on top of lands once home to dozens of Métis River Lots, which were sold out from under our ancestors as increasing waves of settlers arrived in the region after 1850,” added Steve Gjos, Sault Ste. Marie Métis Council President.
“With the opening of the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Heritage Centre, we celebrate the indisputable facts of history. The historic Métis community in Sault Ste. Marie is a rights-bearing Métis community with Section 35 rights protected under the Constitution, and is to date the only Métis community in the country whose history has been scrutinized and affirmed all the way to the Supreme Court. As a Métis person from the prairies, I am so proud of this Heritage Centre and the role it will play in the truth and reconciliation process for the Métis Nation,” said Margaret Froh, President of the MNO.
The Sault Ste. Marie Métis Heritage Centre is more than just a museum. It will be a living space for Métis Nation citizens to come together, learn, and celebrate their shared history. With a focus on cultural preservation, economic growth, and promoting reconciliation, the Centre represents a new chapter in the long and proud history of the Métis people in Sault Ste. Marie, around the Upper Great Lakes, and across the Métis Nation.
For more information about the digital archive and the upcoming museum opening, please visit the Heritage Centre’s website.
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