Friday, 11 October 2024 22:00

Partners unveil Metis mural

MMF Housing and Property Minister Will Goodon (left) hands a special gift to Cherry Creek Metis Local Chair Dennis Desjardins while Barb Desjardins looks on. Goodon made these special slingshots and handed them out to partners in the Metis mural project on the Goodon Wildlife Museum, which was dedicated on September 27. 	MMF Housing and Property Minister Will Goodon (left) hands a special gift to Cherry Creek Metis Local Chair Dennis Desjardins while Barb Desjardins looks on. Goodon made these special slingshots and handed them out to partners in the Metis mural project on the Goodon Wildlife Museum, which was dedicated on September 27.

 

With a large crowd on hand and a special day upcoming, the partners who created the new Metis mural on the north wall of the Irving Goodon International Wildlife Museum were able to celebrate what might be an ongoing relationship.

The new artwork, painted by Metis artist Jayde Goodon, was given its official welcome on September 27. This was a few days before National Truth and Reconciliation Day, and students and staff from Boissevain School made a big impression on everyone in their orange shirts. The mural was a replacement for the Goodon Family one removed from the building earlier in the year so it could be refurbished and moved elsewhere by the Cherry Creek and Turtle Mountain Metis locals. The large artwork, which took up the full north wall, features a bison and other Metis motifs.

After an opening prayer by Elder Elaine Scott, Will Goodon, the Manitoba Metis Federation Minister of Housing, emceed the event. A native of the Turtle Mountains and the son of Irvin Goodon, the founder of the museum, Goodon was a major part of the project and understood the impact of the artwork, saying he still has the connection to the area he grew up in.

“I live south of Brandon,” Goodon stated, “and most people would say they come from Brandon. Not me, not us, not the Indigenous people, certainly not the Metis. When you ask us where we’re from, we’re from the Turtle Mountain, we’re from the bush.”

Goodon said there were a lot of people active in getting the mural done – both Cherry Creek and Turtle Mountain Locals, the Municipality of Boissevain-Morton and the Boissevain-Morton Arts Council.

He first called on Dennis Desjardins, the chair of the Cherry Creek Local. His first comment was to say how great the crowd looked with all of the orange t-shirts.

“Four years ago, six of us started this (Every Child Matters) walk and to see it come together like this is awesome,” Desjardins said.

He thanked all of the partners, including the members of his local, for the work they did to put the mural up. They are all proud to be part of the Boissevain community.

With Turtle Mountain Chair Chris Leforte not able to make the day, Barb Desjardins stepped into the gap. She said she has lived in Boissevain for many years, but her heart and soul were formed in the Turtle Mountains. It was a great place to grow up and the amazing Metis community there continues to shine. In fact, the next day was a special Metis Day at Lake Dromore and she encouraged everyone to come out. She added they had a special guest at the mural dedication, Metis Elder Judy Ann Racine Black from BC.

Arts Council President Lisa Heide was one of the big instigators in the project. She said the group had known for a long time they wanted to do a Metis mural. Two years ago when they did the water tower murals and the one on the dentist office, artist Jayde Goodon contacted them. Having roots in the area, he said he would love to do a mural in Boissevain. Heide said they tucked that information in the back of their minds. In the spring a discussion with Will Goodon and Head of Council Judy Swanson regarding the removal of the old mural brought up the idea of replacing it. She met with members of the Metis community and the Arts Council was very interested in being involved.

“It was super important for us to partner with MMF to fund this project,” Heide stated. “We didn’t want them to fund it, we didn’t want us to fund it. We wanted to make sure it was a partnership.”

She said the group wanted to make sure they honoured Metis past, present and future using their symbols. The artist said he wanted something striking, which it is. The bison represents pride, strength and resilience, the cart and beads represent the history of the Metis people, with the beads specifically referencing the Turtle Mountain area. Heide thanked everyone for the work they did to make the mural a reality. She added these partnerships are the way forward in reconciliation.

Boissevain-Morton Councillor Rob Adams said supporting a mural like the one dedicated was one way the municipality could honour truth and reconciliation. He said the Metis are a major part of the community, with Irvin, Marge and Will Goodon leading the way.

“As we move forward. I hope we can continue to support projects which celebrate Metis culture and help all of us continue to learn about and experience Metis history,” Adams said.

Goodon explained the genesis of the artwork. Boissevain had distinguished itself with its mural project and about 20 years ago, Will’s father Irvin wanted to add a Metis one to the collection. He wanted to reflect on the main families in the Turtle Mountains and commissioned an artwork. Originally located on Goodon Industries, it was later moved to the museum. Goodon explained that a couple of years ago, he was talking to a couple of locals and found it was not in great shape. When it was taken down, they had to be very careful. Discussions were held with the municipality about taking it, and Goodon said he was very happy and proud when council said they wanted it replaced with something that represented Metis culture. He was pleased it was a cousin who painted it and is thrilled with the outcome, saying his father would be very proud of it.

“There was a time when we couldn’t stand up in a community like this, like Deloraine, and say we’re proud,” Goodon stated. “That has changed 180 degrees. Now we can have the town, the school, all of the citizens in Boissevain standing with us, saying they’re proud to have us in the community, that they’re proud to have a symbol like this.”

After the dedication, Goodon said this might not be the end of the partnerships. Although happy with the results of the new museum mural, he said they would like to look at another artwork that would focus on the families. The present one represents the larger Metis Nation, but they would like something more specific about the Turtle Mountain Metis and their lifestyle of hunting, trapping and the like. They would like to find a location and funding, and see if Jayde Goodon wants to return. If not, there are other Metis artists. This would give a whole year for planning another artwork, with Goodon saying his goal would be to have the same type of dedication as done for the new museum mural.

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff

 

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