Water has been a major influence on the development of Winnipeg throughout its 150-year history. Learn about our rivers, floods, and drinking water 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!
Last year the Manitoba Museum piloted a new program to provide community members increased access to Museum collections. Weekday appointments to view collections are sometimes difficult for folks who work full-time or are enrolled in school. This program was developed through discussions with artists, makers, and interested community members. We decided on a free open-access event on a weekend, one where people could sign up and come and spend a few hours looking at many items cared for in storage, rather than on display in the Museum galleries.
Since the majority of the HBC and Anthropology Collections are of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit origin, we structured the initial sessions with preference given to individuals who self-identify as Indigenous. Due to tight collections storage spaces, we kept each session to a maximum of 10 participants. A smaller group setting created a nice, intimate learning environment for discussion, and enabled us to move freely within collection storage as a group.
Participants exploring the Anthropology Collection. ©Manitoba Museum
One of many drawers within the HBC Museum Collection featuring wall pockets with beadwork and quillwork. ©Manitoba Museum
For these sessions we brought in skilled artists to discuss the objects with the group and to share learning experiences in traditional artistic techniques. We were very fortunate to feature Jennine Krauchi and Cynthia Boehm at our first session, and Tashina Houle-Schlup and Cheyenne Schlup for the second session. All four of these artists are not only incredibly skilled with beadwork, embroidery, and quillwork in their own artistic practices, but also knowledgeable on historic pieces within the Museum’s collections. Participants were able to learn so much through this collaborative structure with community artists and makers.
Cheyenne Schlup sharing knowledge with participants (note his beautiful work in the background). ©Manitoba Museum
Artist Jennine Krauchi shows session participants several beautifully beaded artifacts stored with care ©Manitoba Museum
Based on the success of this program last year, we hope to offer 3-4 more sessions in the upcoming year, featuring different artists to share these wonderful collections with interested community members. If you’re interested in participating, keep your eyes on the Museum’s website and social media for the next session!
Don’t miss out on our special Mother’s Day tour From Talk to Table: Indigenous Motherhood on May 12. This tour explores parenting throughout time on Turtle Island and includes include an in-depth tour of Indigenous artifacts in the Museum Galleries and behind-the-scenes.
Canadian armed forces are part of the historical fabric of Winnipeg. Join Dr. Roland Sawatzky to learn about some Winnipeg veterans whose artifacts are on display in the Winnipeg Gallery.
This series celebrating Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary is ongoing throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!
Winnipeg citizens have been fighting inequality and racism for over one hundred years. Join Dr. Roland Sawatzky in the Winnipeg Gallery to learn about these contrasts within our city.
This series celebrating Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary is ongoing throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!
By Mika Pineda, Learning & Engagement Producer for Youth Climate Action.
Every year on April 22, we celebrate our home, the Earth, and all the wonderful things it provides us – from the food that nourishes our body, the shelter and clothing that keeps us warm, to the air and water that allow us to live and breathe.
Here are just a few ideas that can do at home to celebrate Earth Day, every day:
Celebrating and appreciating the Earth doesn’t have to be a one day event; every little thing you do to help the planet makes a difference!
Get your hands dirty by planting a garden to celebrate Earth Day. © Kampus Production
Still looking for Earth-friendly activities?
Join us for Earth Days at the Manitoba Museum on April 20 and 21! Play “Planet vs Plastics”, a fun and educational board game led by our Youth Climate Alliance; check out our special planetarium shows: Atlas of a Changing Earth and We Are Guardians; explore the Museum Galleries on an Earth Days scavenger hunt; and stop by the Earth Day reflection Wall to ask yourself: What action will I take to keep our environment healthy?
Learn how we can protect our Earth together. © Manitoba Museum
Ask yourself “How do I want to see the future unfold?” at the Earth Day Reflection Wall. © Manitoba Museum
Find solutions to keep our waterways healthy in the Science Gallery. © Manitoba Museum/Rejean Brandt
Winnipeg turns 150 this year! Join Dr. Roland Sawatzky in the Winnipeg Gallery to see some of the artifacts newcomers to Canada and Winnipeg brought with them when they arrived here.
This series is ongoing throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!
The city of Winnipeg turns 150 this year! Join Curator of History Dr. Roland Sawatzky in the Winnipeg Gallery to learn some of the early history of the city of Winnipeg.
This series is ongoing throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!
The many natural history specimens in our exhibitions are familiar to Museum-goers. The dioramas and displays introduce Manitoba’s incredible diversity of life, impressing the need for conservation of our wild spaces to maintain a healthy planet. What is less familiar is that, behind-the-scenes, the Museum holds important research collections that scientists use to examine how and where organisms live. These discoveries influence public policy and help preserve our natural heritage.
Museum collections in the Boreal Forest Gallery might offer the first chance to see insects close up and develop a fascination with Manitoba’s incredible biodiversity. © Manitoba Museum/Ian McCausland
The Manitoba Museum bird collection is a resource for exhibits and teaching, and for research by Museum scientists and others around the world. © Manitoba Museum
For many visitors, the Museum collections on exhibit provide the first close look at an insect wing or cougar skull, the first chance to explore life underground, or to experience the wonder of just how many animal species live in Manitoba. Becoming fascinated with the natural world is a necessary first step in caring for it. A gallery exhibit influences attitudes towards our environment and can inspire the next generation of conservation advocates.
The Museum’s research collections – spanning millennia – are like a time machine that tells us about organisms and their environment in the past compared to today. This can determine if species are affected by climate change, habitat loss, pollution, or other factors. Collections are permanent archives of the distribution of organisms and an essential resource for scientific research at the Museum and for scientists around the world. They help assess a species biology, rarity, and any environmental threats, all critical to devise strategies and policies for responsible ecological stewardship.
Museum collections play a significant educational role in exhibits and programs encouraging champions for wildlife. From the scientific evidence they provide, we can better understand changes in our environment and plan conservation action. The Museum research collections of animals, plants, and their representative fossils furnish important data to interpret the past, understand the present, and consider the future of Manitoba’s natural world.
Analysis of feather samples discovered that some prairie songbirds overwinter along the Gulf
of Mexico. Protection of breeding and migration sites can now be planned. © Manitoba Museum
This orca tooth (MM 406) was chemically sampled to study food preferences in Arctic Ocean populations. © Manitoba Museum
Birds of different decades can be used to measure environmental contaminants over time. This ivory gull (MM 1-2-941) from 1926 was analyzed to examine changes in mercury levels to inform management plans. © Manitoba Museum/Ian McCausland
Spring Break is back at the Manitoba Museum! March 23 through March 31, the Manitoba Museum is the place to be, with a week full of family-friendly activities, a brand-new planetarium show, a fun and interactive toddler zone, and more!
The city of Winnipeg turns 150 this year! Join Curator of History Dr. Roland Sawatzky in the Winnipeg Gallery to learn about some of the history of Winnipeg as an Indigenous homeland.
This series will continue throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!
By Roland Sawatzky, Curator of History at the Manitoba Museum
This year is the 150th anniversary of the City of Winnipeg. In 1874 it promoted itself from a small village nestled within the larger Red River Settlement, to a bona fide City, with all the aspirations of growth and importance it could muster. The Winnipeg Gallery at the Manitoba Museum is a great place to explore the fascinating history of our city.
The Winnipeg Gallery was completed at the end of 2019, so if you haven’t seen it yet, this year would be a great time. The gallery includes a seven-metre long wall of artifacts, related to seven themes that run through the history of Winnipeg, including Indigenous Homeland, City of Newcomers, and Celebrations, to name a few. And with special digital kiosks, you can do a deep dive into the story of each artifact, like Sergeant Tommy Prince’s authentic war medals, or a billy club from the 1919 General Strike.
This set of medals was awarded to Sergeant Tommy Prince, one of Canada’s most decorated Indigenous war veterans. Sergeant Prince was born on the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.. The medals reflect his service in WWII and the Korean War. Loan from the Prince Medals Committee. ©Manitoba Museum
Many Winnipeg Grenadiers servicemen were imprisoned during WWII at Sham Shui Po Camp in Hong Kong. One prisoner made this chess set with scraps found at the camp. H9-37-547 ©Manitoba Museum
Discover Winnipeg’s changes over time through our ground-breaking interactive digital map, which lets you explore the city from seven time periods, right up to today. You can release the floodwaters over our unsuspecting city, trace the growth of your neighbourhood, or track the various epidemics (and pandemics) that have hit the city over the last century and a half.
Indigenous history is integrated throughout the gallery, including a nine-Nation treaty established at the Forks in 1285 CE; John Norquay, the Métis premier (1878-1887); the story of Shoal Lake 40 and the Winnipeg Aqueduct; and the 1972 establishment of the era-defining “Professional Native Indian Artists, Inc.” art collective, plus much more.
The inspiring experiences of immigrants in Winnipeg are told through old artifacts and new stories, accessed through a “kitchen table,” where you can sit and listen to the challenges met and overcome by new Canadians, like adapting to the extreme cold, establishing a business, and learning a new language.
This jingle dress was made by Linda Tait from Swan Lake First Nation around 1970. Pow wows are important cultural events in Winnipeg today, and the Jingle Dress Dance is a major feature. H4-0-377 ©Manitoba Museum
During the catastrophic flood of 1950, this pair of hip wader boots was used by a volunteer to assist with relief. Around 100,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes. H9-37-632 ©Manitoba Museum
This is a Kaba dress made by Olayinka Ali in 2018 for the Manitoba Museum. Olayinka is a fashion designer and dressmaker for communities from Africa in Manitoba. H9-38-824 ©Manitoba Museum
Then explore the changes in “Winnipeg 1920.” Most visitors call it the “little town,” but Winnipeg in 1920 was Canada’s third largest city. We’ve made changes to populate it with the diverse peoples of the time.
Our city has had its fair share of important events and contributions to the Canadian story, along with deeply challenging social disparities, from 1874 right to this moment. Winnipeg’s history is tumultuous ever-changing, and contentious. But it isn’t dull. See for yourself!
