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I first met Russell Fayant during Heritage Week in February, 2016 at the event Finding Home in Story: Métis Concepts of Home and Kinship at the Regina Public Library. Hosted by Trevor Herriot, author of Towards a Prairie Atonement, the event also featured Joe Welsh, a grandson of “the last buffalo hunter” Norbert Welsh, and Russell Fayant. Russell spoke eloquently and passionately about Métis cultural heritage as reflected in the art of Sherry Farrell Racette. His good humour and ability to articulate the history and contemporary issues of Métis people in western Canada impressed me immediately, and I elbowed my way through the crowd of adoring fans after the talk to introduce myself. I knew right away that Russell was the perfect person to talk about Métis cultural heritage in this video series. Russell can speak both as an academic and as a proud Métis person with strong family roots and a deep understanding of his people’s cultural heritage. We met first at his workplace, the Gabriel Dumont Institute at the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP) at the University of Regina, and then he took me to his family’s road allowance homestead in the Qu’Appelle Valley. It was a hot, beautiful May day, and I felt deeply honoured that Russell brought me to this important place and shared with me his personal connection to that particular piece of land – emblematic of the deep ties many Métis people feel to the land, land which has often been taken away from or denied them throughout Canadian history.

After our conversation that day, I was certain that Russell’s video needed to be the one to launch this Canada 150 video series. We at Heritage Saskatchewan recognize that Canada 150 celebrations mark an important date in the history of Canada, but we also acknowledge that it is a divisive event, and we welcome the opportunity to provide a platform for differing perspectives. Russell’s challenge for indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians alike is to recognize that the history of Canada has been marked by inequalities and brutality, but he also urges us to realize the important contributions indigenous people have made to Canada, both before and since Confederation. In this way, Russell shows clearly how living heritage has shaped contemporary society.

UPDATE:

Russell’s interview was so good it was very difficult to edit it down to the length I wanted to keep to for these videos. I want to make sure that the full context of his statements is available, so in addition to the Canada 150 video series above, I invite you to also take the time to watch the full, unedited interview with Russell. Enjoy here.