Red River cart unveiled at U of S celebrates Mtis presence on campus - Action News
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Saskatoon

Red River cart unveiled at U of S celebrates Mtis presence on campus

A replica Red River Cart erected at the University of Saskatchewan on Friday is a symbol of the Mtis presence on campus.

Replica built of recycled wood from old grain elevators

Two people stand beside a wooden cart, with a blue ribbon tied to it and cut in the middle
Maria Campbell, a Mtis author and elder, cuts the ribbon unveiling the Red River cart built by George Fayant, right. (Dayne Patterson/CBC)

A proud symbol of Mtis culture now sits on the front lawn of McLean Hall at the entrance to the University of Saskatchewan a replica Red River cart.

McLean Hall is the home to the Gabriel Dumont College centre and Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP).

SUNTEP was started 40 years ago to ensure the Mtis people are well represented in educational roles.

The program emphasizes Mtis history, the Michif language and anti-racist and anti-oppressive education and now it's got a tangible and reverberatingsymbol on the campus.

"We're a strong presence on this campus, so the Red River cart acknowledges that it shows that we're here, we're alive, we're jubilant, we're paying homage to our homeland," said Sheila Pocha, the head of SUNTEP, after the presentation Friday afternoon.

Instead of being rolled to its new home on campus, SUNTEP students assembled the cart it'smade entirely from wood, with no metal nails or screws holding it together on Friday morning just before the presentation and official unveiling.

"This was all a surprise to me, how big of a deal it is," said George Fayant, the cart's builder.

TheMtis man from the Qu'Appelle Valley isa well-known Red River cart builder in the province. He sayseach cart takes about 200 hours to complete.

"They really wanted a symbol, and there's nothing more symbolic for Mtis people than a Red River cart," he added.

"To see this one here today with the blue Infinity flying and the sashes draped on it, that's your textbook definition of Mtis symbolism."

Fayant says the wood could last for about a half century, even in its untreated state. (Dayne Patterson/CBC)

While traditionally carts are crafted with oak, ash and maple, Fayant says, the one placed on the lawn of McLean Hall is made with Douglas fir specifically, wood recycled from old grain elevators.

"There's a bit of family history with the grain elevators as my dad and my uncles built a lot of the grain elevators in the prairies," he said. "There's a possibility, slim as it might be, that I'm handling some of the same wood my dad or his brothers did 50 or 60 years ago."

About 90 per cent of the cart was once a part of a grain elevator, he estimates.

The wood is untreated but Fayant said it can last as long as a half-century in that state, instead of varnishing it every few years. Over time, the wood also naturally shifts from its bright white-brown colour to a "beautiful gray," Fayant said, a preference of his.

While his family built carts two decades ago, he's primarily the cart builder now.In this case, he had his sister and nephew help him build it.

He said there were some "failures" in the way the wheels turned out, but his sisteris committed to rebuilding the wheels and replacing them when she can.

LISTEN | The program head of SUNTEP discusses the importance of a Red River Cart on the University of Saskatchewan campus

In 2019, the university's office of Indigenous Engagement provided SUNTEP with $3,000, which was put toward the installation.

It was unveiled with support from the university and the Gabriel Dumont Institute, which offers the SUNTEP program.