A walking stick used by Louis Riel is one of the many items on display as part of a new exhibit at the Manitoba Museum. (HANDOUT)
WINNIPEG — A new temporary exhibit commemorating Canada’s 150th birthday opened at the Manitoba Museum on Thursday.
“Legacies of Confederation: A New Look at Manitoba History” highlights iconic artifacts and specimens from the museum’s vast collection, as well as some loaned items including the seldom seen walking stick used by Louis Riel and a Treaty document dating to 1875.
“Every curator at the museum had a hand in developing this exhibit. The opportunity to re-examine Manitoba’s past through a contemporary lens within the context of Treaties, a better understanding of Indigenous history and the environmental impacts of settlement, has been an important experience for each of us,” said Dr. Roland Sawatzky, curator of history at the Manitoba Museum.
Artifacts and specimens in the Legacies of Confederation exhibit include: the ceremonial brocaded uniform of James Aikins, John A. MacDonald’s secretary of state; the 1889 Tupper Quilt, which outlines the history of Charles Tupper, a father of Confederation who met with Louis Riel at the height of the resistance; the uniform of a soldier during the Wolseley Expedition, a militia of 1,200 men that tried to impose Canadian order at Red River.
Legacies of Confederation runs until January 7, 2018. Exhibit hours and prices are available on ManitobaMuseum.ca.
