Legacy Review: Place Naming and Place Identity

The following editorial by Cheryl Troupe appeared in Prairie History (Issue 4) | Winter 2021

Statues and memorials at the forefront of current public debate remind me of the statue of Métis leader Gabriel Dumont sitting astride his horse on the South Saskatchewan riverbank in Saskatoon’s Friendship Park. I regularly use images of this statue in my teaching to discuss monuments as sites of memory and historical consciousness where people publicly engage in acts of commemoration. I think it is essential to discuss what monuments represent and the stories people hold about these memorials.

When presented with the statue, most students immediately recognize Dumont for his leadership in the 1885 Resistance. Some even acknowledge his prowess as a buffalo hunter or the leader of the 19th-century Métis community at St. Laurent, Saskatchewan. Few, if any, know the history behind the statue or what it represents to Saskatoon’s Métis community. There is no plaque to describe how Gabriel Dumont’s statue challenges the idea that Indigenous peoples were not present in urban centres during the settlement period or how it speaks to the broader Métis history of use and occupation of the South Saskatchewan River region. Nor is there any marker to explain how the statue reflects a legacy of Indigenous political activism or its importance as gathering space for contemporary Saskatoon Métis.

The initial impetus for the statue began in 1984 with Dennis Fisher, a friend, and ally of the Métis. He chaired the Commemorate ’85 Corporation, a group working to honour the 100th anniversary of the 1885 Resistance. With Métis leadership and community members’ support, Fisher commissioned Saskatoon sculptor Bill Epp to create a piece commemorating the Métis Resistance.

Epp’s first response was to sculpt Louis Riel, but Fisher convinced him that Dumont, leader of the South Saskatchewan River Métis, should be recognized.

When Epp finished the sculpture, Fisher, accompanied by local Métis leaders Clarence Trotchie, Tony and Ron Camponi, Nora Cummings, and others, prepared to welcome the statue and present it to the City as part of a public ceremony full of pomp and circumstance. On 6 May 1985, a crowd gathered under a large red and white circus tent eager to see Dumont’s memory honoured. The ceremony began with honoured guests arriving by boat at the water’s edge and then transported by horse-drawn cart to the ceremony. City dignitaries including mayor Cliff Wright, with councillors Donna Birkmaier and Howard Nixon, attended alongside members of the extended Dumont family and the Saskatoon Métis community. Beyond unveiling the statue, the day included the release of a Canada Post stamp picturing Dumont; the dedication of Gabriel Dumont Park, the latest riverbank park created by the City of Saskatoon and Meewasin Valley Authority, a conservation organization mandated to conserve the South Saskatchewan River’s cultural and natural resources; and the opening of the Marr Residence historic site, which was one of three Saskatoon residences that served as a field hospital during the 1885 Resistance. A reception and Métis cultural entertainment, including fiddle music, jigging, and square-dance performances, completed the festivities.

Following the celebration, organizers did not move the statue to its intended location at Gabriel Dumont Park because the park was in its early stages of development. Instead, they transported it to a Dumont family reunion in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, and then back to Saskatoon for formal presentation to City Council. After receiving the statue, the City decided its immediate location would be Friendship Park, on the South Saskatchewan River’s west bank, close to downtown Saskatoon, where it remains today.

This story is only one of many that the statue represents. The sculpture and its placement in Friendship Park have become meaningful to the Saskatoon Métis. It is a symbol of the Métis’ historical presence in the City and the region’s broader Métis history. Métis have used and occupied the territory that became the City of Saskatoon for generations. In the 19th century, they hunted buffalo in the area, moving along the Red River cart trails that transected the region. They travelled the river corridor for social and economic reasons, often frequenting a natural resting or camping spot called “Bois de Flesche” or “arrow woods” along the river’s east side. When the buffalo economy collapsed, Métis continued to move throughout the area, freighting goods for incoming settlers and collecting buffalo bones that they hauled to a rail depot and sold to Saskatoon merchants.

The statue’s very creation speaks to Métis community members’ insistence on formally recognizing their history and experience. While Fisher, a non-Indigenous man, led the statue’s creation, he was successful owing to the relationships he created with the Métis community and the support they provided. Individuals such as Trotchie, Cummings, and the Camponis were descendants of Métis families from the Round Prairie settlement south of the City, and the first generation born and raised in Saskatoon. By the late 1960s, they were also formidable political activists responsible for creating several Métis social and political organizations in Saskatoon that continue to operate today. They strongly supported Fisher by advocating for the creation of the statue and the commemoration of 1885. And, when the City of Saskatoon and Meewasin Valley Authority twice tried to move the statue from Friendship Park, these individuals responded with successful grassroots action of letter-writing campaigns and community petitions.

The statue’s home in Friendship Park has become meaningful for the Métis and signifies a continued Métis presence in the City. It is where the community gathers to honour and celebrate. Indeed, it has become a place of ceremony. It is where dedicated community members gather for Saskatchewan’s Louis Riel Day each November 16th to offer prayers and honour his life and legacy. Until recently, it was also where the Indigenous community gathered each June 21st to celebrate National Aboriginal Day. The event has now moved to a larger park to accommodate the growing celebration. The statue, on the City of Saskatoon’s official register of Historic Sites, serves as a permanent reminder of the Métis presence. It represents collaboration between the City and the Métis community, and the legacy of political activism by community leaders such as Trotchie, Cummings, and others. The statue speaks to relationships, responsibilities, and reconciliation, long before anyone talked about reconciliation. Gabriel Dumont’s statue has important stories to tell, if only there were markers to share this history.

In December 2023, John A. Macdonald Road was officially renamed miyo-wâhkôhtowin Road as a way to recognize the ongoing harm of residential schools.

A New Name for the Road  

On June 28, 2021, Saskatoon City Council approved the process to rename John A. Macdonald Road to recognize the ongoing harm in the community experienced by residential schools. The City of Saskatoon (City) is committed to raising awareness and understanding of residential schools and their ongoing impacts.  

Why a New Name 

John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, played a significant role in the development of Canada’s Indian residential school system. Residential schools took Indigenous children away from their families, cultures and languages to assimilate them - so they would no longer exist as distinct peoples. 

Residential schools were responsible for the hunger, neglect, abuse and death of thousands of Indigenous children in Canada. Indigenous families today continue to experience this pain, grief, loss and inter-generational trauma.  

The New Name: miyo-wâhkôhtowin Road

The City met with Indigenous leaders, Residential School Survivors, Elders, Knowledge Keepers and youth, the Saskatoon Intercultural Association, members from the Chinese community, teachers from wâhkôhtowin School and others to recommend a new name for the Road to the City of Saskatoon’s Civic Naming Committee. The name was approved by City Council on September 27, 2023.

The name is miyo-wâhkôhtowin Road – Cree for good (miyo) relationship (wâhkôhtowin).  It is pronounced mee-yo wah-KOH-toh-win

The name reflects the theme of Reconciliation and was thoughtfully and carefully chosen after listening to and learning from the community and the people that continue to be impacted by residential schools and the legacy of John A. Macdonald. Residential schools contributed to a breakdown of relationships within the community, causing division; good relationships will bring us together.

The Saskatoon City Council, on June 22, 2015, unanimously committed that the City adopt and implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) relevant calls to action as well as work with community groups to promote reconciliation in our province. Responding to Call to Action #79: ‘Participate in a strategy to commemorate Aboriginal peoples’ history and contributions to Canada’, the City undertook a community-driven naming process for the North Commuter Parkway (NCP) Bridge. 

Naming the NCP Bridge provided an opportunity to unite the community and province in an act of reconciliation and educate the community on Aboriginal history and culture, particularly in and around Saskatoon.  The ‘Share Your Voice’ campaign engaged Saskatoon and area citizens, including Métis and First Nation Elders, Indian residential school and ‘Sixties Scoop’ survivors, by asking them to share their ideas for bridge names at in-person engagement events or an online form. Over 400 ideas were brought forward by the community, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of four names: Louis Riel, Chief Mistawasis, Wîcîhitowin and Waniskâ.

The process focused on engaging with youth and getting them actively involved in learning about the past and how it relates to our community today. Working with the school divisions, a number of learning resources were created that can be used now and into the future, including four educational vignettes, school lesson plans and tool kits. As a result of the naming process, a number of names have been referred to the Naming Advisory Committee for consideration of addition to the master names list for use in naming future civic infrastructure. 

The community-led NCP Bridge Naming Steering Committee was facilitated by the City of Saskatoon and included representatives from: Office of the Treaty Commissioner, Central Urban Métis Federation Inc, Saskatoon Tribal Council, and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. Throughout the journey, it was important that Métis and First Nation Elders guided the cultural protocol for the naming project in all aspects, including the blessing of the land which took place in May 2017.

For more information on the 'Share Your Voice' campaign, including the four educational vignettes and a list of educational resources, visit Saskatoon.ca/engage/ncp.

How was the name chosen?

• Names were gathered from the community, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal residents, through an open call for nominations.
• Elders and Survivors reflected and deliberated on the list of names in order to assist the Naming Steering Committee in determining a shortlist of four names.
• A series of vignettes was promoted to the community to learn more about the significance of the names and invite the public to provide input online or in-person.

What was the naming criteria?

Nominations had to meet one of the following guidelines:

• Historical Name acknowledging an Aboriginal historical event or figure.
• Word or Concept that embodies the spirit of community, coming together or connection.

 North Commuter Parkway Bridge – Bridge Naming Engagement Process

 Attachment: North Commuter Parkway Bridge Naming Process

 City Council Motion: Councillor D. Hill - Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action Report

 WATCH: YouTube - Naming the North Commuter Parkway Bridge

Part of Victoria Park was renamed Reconciliation Circle in 2018. Reconciliation Circle is the space just northeast of Lions Skate Park, bound by cycling paths. A circular art sculpture, Where Our Paths Cross, was installed in the northeast end of the identified area to honour the legacy of Indigenous peoples in the region.

The original request for this renaming came to City Hall via the Central Urban Métis Federation.

This is one way the City is responding to the TRC Calls to Action to name prominent infrastructure to honour the legacy of Indigenous peoples. The naming attempts to help address the painful legacy of residential schools.