An Interactive History Lesson

Just before the end of the school year, prairie students had the chance to attend the cultural extravaganza History in the Hills.

The event, a celebration of Aboriginal culture, took place next to the Elkwater Rodeo Grounds in Cyprus Hill Provincial Park June 14th-17th. The Cyprus Hills have long been a gathering place for many Aboriginal people.

The gently rolling hills straddling the Alberta and Saskatchewan border in the southern portion of the country often served as winter settlement for the Métis in the 1800s. During the warm summer months, Métis buffalo hunters and fur traders would travel the prairies following buffalo herds. In the winter, they would often settle among the Cyprus Hills in small villages complete with log houses and churches.

The first three days of the event brought school groups from as far away as Winnipeg to experience life as it would have existed in the area in the 1800s . Some school groups even spent the night in the Tipi Village set up as part of the over all celebration.

To facilitate learning, students were divided into groups, and then sent to one of 10 different stations. After approximately 20 minutes the groups would move on, until all of the groups had a chance to visit every station.

Each station had a different focus; some discussed the cultures of the First Nations (Blackfoot Confederacy, Nakoda/Assiniboine, and Cree). Other stations dealt with practical applications, such as making bannock, tanning hides and environmental education and protection.

One station highlighted the Métis culture and what makes it so distinct from other Aboriginal cultures. Red River Cart building demonstrations were held, Michif language was showcased and several Métis fiddlers and jiggers contributed to the events entertainment.

An archeological station staffed by University of Calgary students presented ways of examining the past. The dig allowed visitors to reflect on 7-8000 years of Aboriginal inhabitation and the changes that occurred within their environment.

One of the stations was a patrol camp was set up by the Fort Walsh National Historic Site to highlight the significance the Cypress Hills hold for the RCMP. In 1873 a group of Wolf Hunters killed a group of Assiniboine and one non-Aboriginal man because they were mistakenly believed to have stolen the hunter’s horses. Known as the Cyprus hill Massacre, the event led to a parliamentary bill being passed establishing the North West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

On the fourth day of the event, all venues were opened for public interpretation and there were activities such as native games, tipi-raising demonstrations, fry bread/bannock tasting, performances by Métis dancers and Native drummers and singers.