Witness Scientific Discovery at the Manitoba Museum

The Manitoba Museum is a place of discovery, and not only for our visitors! Our Curators travel far and wide to acquire specimens and artifacts for the Museum’s collection. Some of these objects eventually end up on display in our galleries, while others may be significant for scientific research. Some even turn out to be new species.

Alongside a large, animated sea scape, you can see a selection of 450-million-year-old fossils of organisms that once inhabited Manitoba in the Earth History Gallery, Ancient Seas Exhibit. ©Manitoba Museum

This past summer, our Curator of Palaeontology and Geology made some spectacular fossil discoveries near Churchill and Grand Rapids, including at least one never-before-seen extinct species. Back at the Museum, these specimens will be carefully prepared under the microscope, removing overlying rock to tease out secrets hidden in stone. Then, they can be studied and shared through publications and exhibits with the scientific community and the public.

Fossil deposits in northern Manitoba are of global scientific significance and Manitoba Museum researchers have been at the forefront in their discovery and study. These fossils are remarkable for their quality of preservation – even traces of soft organisms like jellyfish and seaweeds have been preserved. The rock layers date back to about 450 million years ago, a time long before the dinosaurs when Manitoba was covered by a shallow, tropical sea.

Few other places in the world preserve such a remarkable record of this time period, and the Manitoba Museum is the only place you can see specimens from these sites on exhibit.

First developed in 1974 as the “Urban Gallery,” this visitor favourite has undergone some major changes over the last four years. The gallery was always meant to represent Winnipeg in 1920, when it was Canada’s third largest city. Our goal with the transformation was to introduce more real history to the gallery, populate it more thoroughly, and explore the diversity of Winnipeg’s population at the time.

People love this gallery because there is so much to explore, and it’s completely immersive. That hasn’t changed! You will still discover something new (or old) around every corner.

Here are some fun things to look for the next time you visit: a bizarre bison horn inkwell; a restored version of the 1920 HBC documentary film “Romance of the Far Fur Country”; an engaging discussion about women’s voting rights between Mrs. Garvin and her maid Alma; footage of a busy Portage Avenue filled with cars, trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians, but lacking any stop signs; Winnipeg Tribune grotesques (look up); and Hattie Colcleugh, one of the first female graduates from the Manitoba College of Pharmacy.

Special thanks to The Manitoba Museum Foundation, the Province of Manitoba (Heritage Grant), and the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund for their support in making these exciting changes possible.

Explore Winnipeg 1920 and more at the Manitoba Museum! Click here to plan your visit today.

By the time you read this, Earth will have not just one but two comets visiting our corner of the solar system. These objects remind us that our planet is part of a solar system that is dynamic and still has new objects awaiting discovery. With luck, both of these objects will be visible to the average person with the unaided eye.

Comet 2023 A3 (Tsuchinshen-ATLAS) was discovered last year and has put on an amazing show in the southern hemisphere in late September and early October. When it becomes visible from Canada in mid-October it should be an interesting sight for Manitobans throughout the fall. Meanwhile, a second comet called 2024 S1 (ATLAS) was recently discovered that may pass very close to the Sun at the end of October, perhaps becoming very bright… or disintegrating in the Sun’s heat.

The Orbit of Comet Tsuchinshen-ATLAS dives down from above the solar system (on the left of the image), passes close to the Sun, and then heads back up between Earth and Sun. Manitobans will see it as it passes above the Sun this month. © NASA SSD

By Tabitha Harper, Museum Advisor on Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, & Amelia Fay, Curator of Anthropology and HBC Museum Collections

As we approach the annual National Day for Truth & Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, folks maybe be curious about their role in Truth & Reconciliation. Many Indigenous leaders and community members have urged that truth needs to come before reconciliation, followed by action to create meaningful impact. Museums have a uniquely important role in changing past narratives and practices to move forward with ReconciliACTION.

Although museums carry a lot of colonial baggage, the Manitoba Museum staff (past and present) have been working hard to make the Museum a safe space to learn about history. In-person visitors to the Museum can choose from various programs and exhibits to engage with difficult histories, we also have resources available on our website and YouTube channel that you can view from home.

Not sure where to begin? Below are a few topics that I think are a great starting place, no matter where you are in your reconciliation learning journey.

• The colonial process in Canada started long before Confederation, so I encourage visitors to reconsider the history of the fur trade, including the early beginnings of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Learn more about the Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter in this video on our YouTube channel:

• Take time to learn more about Residential Schools in Manitoba, visit the schoolhouse exhibit in the Prairies Gallery and use the digital kiosks embedded in the desks. You can also click here to see the same information on our website.

• We are all vulnerable and learning when it comes to truth and reconciliation, but by understanding how we are going to engage, learn, and grow with Indigenous peoples, take a look at the ‘Indigenous Connections’ section in the Truth & Reconciliation page on our website, here.

During Orange Shirt Days, daily powwow demonstrations by Beautiful Cloud Company provides the opportunity to learn about the resilience of Indigenous culture. © Manitoba Museum

For many non-Indigenous readers, learning more about these topics might bring up a lot of feelings and make you uncomfortable, and that’s okay. The important thing is to not dismiss information that challenges what you knew about Canadian history, but instead sit with the discomfort and think about why you might feel this way. Moving forward, I recommend looking at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s website for ‘ReconciliACTION Plans’ (nctr.ca/reconciliaction-plans) to create your own action plan.

By David Finch, Curator of Archaeology

I lived in Yellowknife for ten years where the seasons are definitely pronounced. Downtown Yellowknife wraps around a small lake and I used to shop at stores on the other side. Shopping in winter was easier because I didn’t have to go around the lake – I could just walk across the ice. For the rest of the year, I faced a longer trek to reach my destination.

Archaeologists also follow a seasonal round – it’s hard to dig in frozen ground or to survey when there is snow. In Manitoba, the season for fieldwork is often from May to October, with the winter months spent writing reports.

This summertime focus affects our mobility: recorded sites tend to be near highways and shorelines because most fieldwork is done during summer from trucks and boats. Ancient access was different, and winter sites might be in what we now write off as bogs.

One way around these problems is to think broadly about how, where, and when we can explore the land: oral history and traditional land use can help predict where sites may be (and where we should dig); underwater archaeology and remote sensing can reveal hidden sites; and making community connections and getting to know the land in all seasons can also point us in the right direction.

Did you know that roughly 2.5 million (86%) of the Museum’s 2.9 million artifacts are part of the Archaeology collection? Containing objects dating from the last ice age through thousands of years of Indigenous history and the arrival and settlement of Europeans in Manitoba, the collection represents over 12,000 years of Manitoba’s history. Visit today to explore the Archaeology collection and all the stories it has to tell.

By Diana Bizecki Robson, Curator of Botany at the Manitoba Museum

There are many plant species with edible fruit in Manitoba. Wild fruits make a nutritious snack when you are out hiking but you may also want to consider growing of these shrubs in your yard to ensure easy access to their delicious fruit.

Berries are fleshy fruits with several seeds inside them. The most popular ones to eat are Saskatoons (Amelanchier alnifolia) and blueberries (Vaccinium spp.). Saskatoons are tall shrubs typically found in the prairies and parklands, while blueberries are low shrubs common in the boreal forest.

Fruits that we commonly call “cherries” or “plums” are actually drupes, a fleshy fruit with a hard, inedible pit inside. Manitoba has five species of wild cherries including Wild (Prunus americana) and Canada Plum (P. nigra), Chokecherry (P. virginiana), Pin Cherry (P. pensylvanica) and Sand Cherry (P. pumila). Wild plums and cherries can be pitted and dried or turned into jam, juice, or jelly.

Before consuming any wild fruit, remember to consult with a field guide, to ensure you can correctly identify both edible and dangerous fruits.

Adapting to life in a new city or country can come with many challenges and successes. This video with Dr. Roland Sawatzky in the Winnipeg Gallery looks at how the experiences of immigrants to Winnipeg in the last 20 years or so compare to the experiences of immigrants 100-150 years ago.

This series celebrating Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary is ongoing throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!

Plan your visit to the Winnipeg Gallery today

We show gratitude to the Telus Friendly Future Foundation for their generous support in funding our project, Anishinaabemowin with Amik. Together, we can work towards language preservation and ensure children and youth across the country have easy access to learning Anishinaabemowin. Gichi-miigwech!

This project title is inspired by the beaver (amik) who represents wisdom in the seven sacred teachings. The beaver is the pillar of their community’s and nature’s well-being and strives to make a positive impact.

Here in Winnipeg we love a good celebration! Coming together for festivals, sports, and cultural events help us share what it means to be Winnipeggers. Learn more in this video from the Winnipeg Gallery with Dr. Roland Sawatzky.

This series celebrating Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary is ongoing throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!

Plan your visit to the Winnipeg Gallery today

By Tashina Houle-Schlup, Head of Indigenous Programming & Engagement

Throughout this important month, the Manitoba Museum celebrates the tangible and intangible heritage of the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities of Manitoba. One of our special initiatives to create space for these celebrations occurs on Sunday, June 16, when we will host our first-ever Indigenous Artist Market to honour and celebrate Indigenous History Month.

This much-anticipated market will not only showcase and support numerous local Indigenous artists, makers, and crafters but also provide a unique opportunity for visitors to engage in a cultural exchange, connecting the historical works in the Museum Galleries with the beautiful, contemporary creations from these vendors.

As caretakers of a significant collection of Indigenous ancestral works, the Museum takes pride in  preserving and showcasing pieces like the exquisite, intricate quillwork dating back to the early 19th century and beadwork that transcends beauty in every meticulously created design.

We are fortunate to show our visitors that these hundreds of years-old artistic practices are still being carried forward by artists, makers, and crafters today. Some amazing, talented vendors attending our market include Bead N’ Butter, Red Thunder Cloud Designs, Onyx Art, Alicia Kejick Creations, Indigify, By Niizhode, Pretty Windy Designs, Anishinaa-Bakes, and many more.

The market will give attendees the chance to honour the rich artistic traditions on display in the Museum  Galleries, support thriving local Indigenous entrepreneurs, and contribute to the growth and sustainability of their incredible work.

We invite you to visit the Museum this June to explore, reflect, and learn this Indigenous History Month; and don’t forget to stop by on Sunday, June 16, from 10 am to 3 pm to help us support and celebrate the talented  artists taking part in our first ever Indigenous Artist Market.