27 Sep 2022
To explore Manitoba's remote wilderness, glittering lake regions, arctic tundra and dynamic urban centres is to honour the province's rich Indigenous culture and heritage. Its festivals, museums, natural phenomena, and diverse eateries and boutiques provide an abundance of fun and meaningful Indigenous tourism experiences.
Read on for some of the most profound First Nation, Métis and Inuit immersions in Manitoba.
Manito Ahbee Festival
In the spirit of the Manito Ahbee sacred site, the Manito Ahbee Festival is a celebration of Indigenous culture and heritage, aiming to unify, educate and inspire. In May 2023, the 18th annual festival will feature the International Pow Wow, Indigenous Music Awards, Indigenous Music Conference, markets, youth education and Indigenous films.
Winnipeg: Feast Café Bistro and The Forks
For an Indigenous immersion of the delicious kind, check out Indigenous-owned Feast Café Bistro in Winnipeg's West End neighbourhood. The menu features bold flavours of Manitoba and highlights many traditional Indigenous ingredients like bison, squash, wild rice, pickerel and bannock.
Arguably Winnipeg's most popular neighbourhood, The Forks stands at the meeting point of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, a natural gathering place for First Nations trade and ceremonies for the past 6,000 years. Adorned with murals and sculptures created by Indigenous artists, The Forks recently developed an area called Niizhoziibean, featuring walking and biking trails, and a ceremony area open to the public.
The Forks is a hub of great eateries, craft breweries, pop-up attractions and shops, including the flagship Manitobah Mukluks store, an Indigenous-owned company and creator of the original winter boots of North America. Pick up a pair of 'Storyboots' – one-of-a-kind creations where the Indigenous artist receives 100 per cent of the proceeds.
Natural wonders: petroforms and preserved wetlands
Explore Manitoba's boreal forest on an authentic Indigenous experience, 90 minutes from Winnipeg at Bannock Point in Whiteshell Provincial Park. On a guided tour, you'll walk on sacred ground, listen, smell and participate in Anishinaabe cultural traditions, teachings and stories, as you view incredible petroforms – ancient stone forms with deep meaning and healing power to those who know how to read them.
The Brokenhead Wetland Interpretive Trail offers an Indigenous adventure of a different kind near Scanterbury along Lake Winnipeg's eastern shore. Meander along the trail and engage the senses as you listen to birdsong, smell the cedar, and examine rare plants, such as wild orchids, stunning wildflowers and mushrooms. This sacred area has been used by the local Ojibway for more than 300 years for ceremonies and to gather food and medicinal plants.
Métis immersions
Flashes of colour and big, bold blooms are the hallmarks of Métis beadwork. Make your own at artist Melanie Gamache's workshop in Ste Genevieve. At Borealis Beading, you'll learn two-needle beading, quilt-making and finger weaving through classes held in the traditional circle style. Stitch a simple flower onto a cloth tobacco bag or try your hand at a leather medicine bag, mitts or moccasins.
Join Seasons Kirkwood on a Sayzoons adventure along the Crow River Trail. Her Indigenous-led outdoor experiences aim to connect people back to the nature and the land. From paddling to archery, Kirkwood's guests learn, grow and enjoy as they listen to her stories of the Métis way of life.
St Boniface Museum
The heart of Manitoba's francophone community, St. Boniface offers a rich cultural immersion around every corner. Stand beneath the ruins of the imposing façade of Cathédrale de Saint-Boniface and visit Le Musée de Saint Boniface Museum, a National Historic Site that served as the first hospital, orphanage and senior's home in western Canada. Learn about the unique culture, history and language of the Métis Nation, Indigenous Peoples of mixed First Nations and European heritage who originated in the Red River area of what's now called Manitoba. The museum houses the largest collection of Louis Riel artifacts in the country, recounting the history of Riel, the founder of Manitoba and one of Canada's most recognisable historical Métis figures.
Anne Mulaire Designs
Shop for gorgeous Anne Mulaire designs in downtown Winnipeg, Canada's premiere Métis fashion brand. Anne Mulaire's clothing lines honour Canada's French, Indigenous, and Métis character, with hints of Prairie culture, notes of Canada's north and shades of the Pacific Northwest. Check out the beautiful Heritage Designs, created by David Albert, the lead Aboriginal Métis artist at Anne Mulaire. His enchanting artwork encapsulates the craft of storytelling of Indigenous culture.
Qaumajuq, Winnipeg Art Gallery
Founded 110 years ago, the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is renowned as one of Canada's leading visual art museums, housed in an iconic modernist building in the heart of downtown Winnipeg. Featured within the WAG, Qaumajuq is home to the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. This first-of-its-kind centre is an innovative cultural campus inspired by the light-filled spaces of the new building, Qaumajuq (pronounced KOW-ma-yourk) means “it is bright, it is lit” in Inuktitut. The undulating white stone of Qaumajuq's façade hovers above the ground, as if floating over the glass-filled lobby. Its abstract quality recalls the vast scale of the North as well as the carved forms of the artwork within its walls.
Istanitaq Museum
Open year-round in the far-north frontier town of Churchill, the Itsanitaq Museum has a collection of Inuit carvings and artifacts that are among the finest and oldest in the world dating from Pre-Dorset (1700 B.C.) through Dorset, Thule and modern Inuit times. Manitoba Heritage Council plaques commemorate the presence of Pre-Dorset and Dorset peoples who lived in this area from 3000 to 1000 B.C. Browse the gift shop for visually stunning northern books, Canadian Inuit art, quirky postcards, stationery and local wildberry preserves.
Land Acknowledgement
A visit to Manitoba means travelling through Treaty 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Territories and through communities who are signatories to Treaties 6 and 10. Manitoba is located on the ancestral land of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk Nations and is the Homeland of the Red River Métis. Northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit.
Travel Manitoba respects the spirit and intent of Treaties and Treaty Making and remains committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.
GETTING THERE
Air Canada offers daily direct flights to Vancouver from Sydney and direct flights between Brisbane and Vancouver four times per week. Direct flights from Sydney to Vancouver are also available on Qantas. Daily connecting flights are available from Vancouver to Winnipeg, in addition to the VIA Rail train service. For the latest information on travel to Canada please visit the Government of Canada website.
