1
00:00:02,235 --> 00:00:05,771
[cheering & applauding]

2
00:00:05,839 --> 00:00:08,306
This community makes up
one of north america's

3
00:00:08,375 --> 00:00:11,410
Oldest and largest
metis communities,

4
00:00:11,478 --> 00:00:14,646
Made up primarily of
descendants of the

5
00:00:14,714 --> 00:00:19,518
Original metis families that
settled here in the mid 1800s.

6
00:00:19,586 --> 00:00:21,119
The og metis.

7
00:00:21,188 --> 00:00:23,588
[laughing & cheering]

8
00:00:23,591 --> 00:00:26,625
This community is credited
with keeping the traditional

9
00:00:26,627 --> 00:00:29,428
Metis language alive —
michif.

10
00:00:29,496 --> 00:00:33,065
Mostly french, but many people
here speak english and

11
00:00:33,133 --> 00:00:35,500
The pronunciation of
various things, i—

12
00:00:35,569 --> 00:00:38,203
It's all over the map a
little bit, to me.

13
00:00:38,205 --> 00:00:39,738
You guys don't say
bombardier ["bom-bar-dee-yay"].

14
00:00:39,807 --> 00:00:41,173
You say "bom-ba-deer".

15
00:00:41,241 --> 00:00:44,676
People who will say "por-tij"
rather than portage ["por-tazh"]

16
00:00:44,745 --> 00:00:46,678
Even the name of your town,

17
00:00:46,746 --> 00:00:49,347
I've heard st. Laurent ["lo-ra"]
and I've heard st. "lo -rent".

18
00:00:49,416 --> 00:00:51,283
[laughing]

19
00:00:51,351 --> 00:00:54,019
Anyway, I'm not gonna
get hung up on it.

20
00:00:54,087 --> 00:00:56,254
But hey, listen, you say
"lo-rent," I say "lo-ra".

21
00:00:56,323 --> 00:00:59,224
Let's get some "bombadeers",
go for a jaunt.

22
00:00:59,292 --> 00:01:01,093
Or I'm sorry, a "ja".

23
00:01:01,161 --> 00:01:03,896
[laughing]

24
00:01:03,964 --> 00:01:06,198
When you grew up in a small
town in newfoundland,

25
00:01:06,266 --> 00:01:08,767
You see the people have a sense
of humor about hard times.

26
00:01:08,836 --> 00:01:09,868
Check. Check.

27
00:01:09,937 --> 00:01:12,003
I turned that into a career
and hit the road.

28
00:01:12,072 --> 00:01:14,206
Mr. Jonny harris!

29
00:01:14,274 --> 00:01:16,741
Now I'm on a mission to find
the funny in the places you'd

30
00:01:16,810 --> 00:01:19,978
Least expect it— canada's
struggling small towns.

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00:01:19,980 --> 00:01:23,381
Towns that are against the
ropes, but hanging in there.

32
00:01:23,384 --> 00:01:25,817
Still laughing in the
face of adversity.

33
00:01:25,886 --> 00:01:28,220
This is st. Laurent, manitoba.

34
00:01:28,288 --> 00:01:32,491
♪

35
00:01:32,559 --> 00:01:37,195
[cheering & applauding]

36
00:01:37,198 --> 00:01:40,031
I see these flags
everywhere I go.

37
00:01:40,100 --> 00:01:41,867
I love this flag,
the metis flag.

38
00:01:41,869 --> 00:01:44,369
The blue with the white
infinity symbol.

39
00:01:44,437 --> 00:01:47,539
I love how that— I could
go on and on forever.

40
00:01:47,608 --> 00:01:51,276
[laughing]

41
00:01:51,278 --> 00:01:54,212
On may 31st, 2011,

42
00:01:54,281 --> 00:01:57,082
Record high waters and
gale force winds

43
00:01:57,151 --> 00:02:00,752
On lake manitoba caused
massive flooding here...

44
00:02:00,820 --> 00:02:03,622
Forcing a total
evacuation of the town.

45
00:02:03,690 --> 00:02:07,759
I met a woman who missed
st. Laurent so much

46
00:02:07,761 --> 00:02:09,895
That she felt bereaved...

47
00:02:09,963 --> 00:02:13,866
But returned to be
reeve of st. Laurent.

48
00:02:13,934 --> 00:02:15,634
Cheryl smith.

49
00:02:15,702 --> 00:02:20,772
[cheering & applauding]

50
00:02:20,774 --> 00:02:23,542
The metis people of
st. Laurent are the

51
00:02:23,610 --> 00:02:26,811
Largest metis
community in canada.

52
00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:30,315
Cheryl told me that the
metis nation was formed

53
00:02:30,317 --> 00:02:33,318
When european trappers,
mostly french,

54
00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,887
Moved west into
this area and

55
00:02:35,890 --> 00:02:39,958
Married and began families
with indigenous women.

56
00:02:40,026 --> 00:02:42,794
The four main contributing
people's being

57
00:02:42,862 --> 00:02:46,731
Cree, ojibwe, french,
and scottish.

58
00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,634
Eventually a nation arose,
and that's the metis nation.

59
00:02:49,703 --> 00:02:52,304
And I think the metis
have done well.

60
00:02:52,306 --> 00:02:54,272
I feel like you've inherited

61
00:02:54,341 --> 00:02:57,475
The most attractive parts of
all these peoples.

62
00:02:57,478 --> 00:02:59,144
[cheering & applauding]

63
00:02:59,213 --> 00:03:01,947
Seriously.
In appearance,

64
00:03:02,015 --> 00:03:04,616
From the indigenous side,
the dark eyes,

65
00:03:04,684 --> 00:03:07,018
The naturally
smooth complexion.

66
00:03:07,087 --> 00:03:09,187
You wouldn't believe how much
makeup I'm wearing right now.

67
00:03:09,256 --> 00:03:10,922
[laughing]

68
00:03:10,991 --> 00:03:14,526
The language — michif —
mostly french,

69
00:03:14,528 --> 00:03:17,562
Widely regarded as a very
sensual tongue.

70
00:03:17,631 --> 00:03:20,932
And from the scottish you got—

71
00:03:21,001 --> 00:03:23,902
[laughing]

72
00:03:23,970 --> 00:03:26,538
Hang on now, okay,
we'll come back to this.

73
00:03:26,607 --> 00:03:28,306
We'll come back
to that, okay.

74
00:03:28,309 --> 00:03:30,375
So, you've lived here
your whole life.

75
00:03:30,444 --> 00:03:32,310
Yes, I was born
and raised here.

76
00:03:32,379 --> 00:03:35,447
And so were my mum, my dad,
my grandparents.

77
00:03:35,515 --> 00:03:38,850
My mom and dad had 12 kids and,
out of those 12 kids,

78
00:03:38,918 --> 00:03:41,520
The majority of them
live in st. Laurent.

79
00:03:41,588 --> 00:03:43,688
Cheryl's mother was
a bookkeeper.

80
00:03:43,757 --> 00:03:46,124
Her father,
a commercial fisherman.

81
00:03:46,192 --> 00:03:49,094
And she was one
of 12 children.

82
00:03:49,096 --> 00:03:50,962
And that wasn't uncommon.

83
00:03:50,965 --> 00:03:53,665
She said large family— it was
the same way in newfoundland.

84
00:03:53,734 --> 00:03:56,067
This is what happens when
fishermen don't have a quota.

85
00:03:56,136 --> 00:03:58,970
[laughing]

86
00:03:59,039 --> 00:04:01,673
She said when she was young,
they had no running water

87
00:04:01,741 --> 00:04:05,844
Up 'til she was 6 years old.
12 kids, no running water.

88
00:04:05,912 --> 00:04:09,414
- Lots of breaking water.
- [laughing]

89
00:04:09,416 --> 00:04:13,184
Sorry, I mean lots of
water breaking.

90
00:04:13,253 --> 00:04:16,855
But if she wished her house had
running water in it, well,

91
00:04:16,923 --> 00:04:18,423
Careful what you wish for.

92
00:04:18,425 --> 00:04:21,426
In 2011, the flood hit,
and it hit hard.

93
00:04:21,495 --> 00:04:25,097
They had predicted 100
kilometre winds straight west.

94
00:04:25,165 --> 00:04:27,766
And they were gonna be
sustained winds.

95
00:04:27,834 --> 00:04:31,103
Cheryl said the wind was
coming off lake manitoba

96
00:04:31,171 --> 00:04:34,372
Reaching gusts of
100 kilometres per hour.

97
00:04:34,375 --> 00:04:36,808
I had a 6-foot dike
around my home.

98
00:04:36,876 --> 00:04:39,244
You know, the lake kept
going up, kept going up.

99
00:04:39,246 --> 00:04:41,846
She said people
had fish in their homes.

100
00:04:41,915 --> 00:04:45,116
And that's not the way you do it
here, right, when you guys

101
00:04:45,185 --> 00:04:48,920
Find fish from the lake,
you do takeout, not delivery.

102
00:04:48,988 --> 00:04:51,289
You want your perch poached
not porched.

103
00:04:51,358 --> 00:04:52,891
[laughing]

104
00:04:52,959 --> 00:04:55,260
So, my husband and I moved to,
to winnipeg.

105
00:04:55,329 --> 00:04:57,262
We were out 13 months.

106
00:04:57,330 --> 00:05:00,432
And, my husband, he said,
"oh my goodness, cheryl,

107
00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:02,601
You're like a fish
out of water".

108
00:05:02,669 --> 00:05:04,636
And I said, "I know."
[laughing]

109
00:05:04,704 --> 00:05:07,806
After the government gave the
okay to move back in,

110
00:05:07,874 --> 00:05:09,574
Cheryl and her family were
among the first.

111
00:05:09,642 --> 00:05:11,876
They wanted to encourage
other families to move back.

112
00:05:11,879 --> 00:05:13,278
But not everybody did.

113
00:05:13,347 --> 00:05:14,646
This is my home here.

114
00:05:14,714 --> 00:05:17,749
I had to raise it almost
6 feet after the flood.

115
00:05:17,751 --> 00:05:21,119
She said people had lost
trust in the lake,

116
00:05:21,187 --> 00:05:22,554
Which is sort of a heartbreaker.

117
00:05:22,622 --> 00:05:26,324
It was really an ordeal,
but we did it and it took time,

118
00:05:26,393 --> 00:05:29,694
But we got it back to some
feeling of home.

119
00:05:29,763 --> 00:05:31,663
But cheryl said there
was no question.

120
00:05:31,731 --> 00:05:33,164
She said she had
to move back.

121
00:05:33,167 --> 00:05:35,767
She said, you know, this was
where she was raised,

122
00:05:35,836 --> 00:05:37,936
Where she raised her children.

123
00:05:38,004 --> 00:05:40,338
She said, "this is
where home is".

124
00:05:40,341 --> 00:05:42,641
Come to think of it, I guess
this is also where

125
00:05:42,709 --> 00:05:44,242
She raised her home.

126
00:05:44,244 --> 00:05:46,411
[laughing]

127
00:05:46,479 --> 00:05:48,747
[cheering & applauding]

128
00:05:56,323 --> 00:06:00,425
When I asked my producers if I
could speak with someone with

129
00:06:00,493 --> 00:06:04,195
Expertise about the metis
culture, one of them said,

130
00:06:04,198 --> 00:06:08,032
"sure, how about a curator
from the smithsonian?"

131
00:06:08,035 --> 00:06:10,268
I said, "okay, no need
to be sarcastic".

132
00:06:10,336 --> 00:06:11,803
[laughing]

133
00:06:11,805 --> 00:06:13,438
But she wasn't
being sarcastic.

134
00:06:13,506 --> 00:06:15,807
I got to talk to you
jacinthe lambert.

135
00:06:15,876 --> 00:06:19,978
[cheering & applauding]

136
00:06:20,046 --> 00:06:23,615
Jacinthe told me that in 2000,
the smithsonian institute

137
00:06:23,683 --> 00:06:26,518
Created the national museum
of the american indian.

138
00:06:26,586 --> 00:06:28,420
And they reached out to
indigenous groups

139
00:06:28,488 --> 00:06:30,555
All across the americas.

140
00:06:30,557 --> 00:06:33,091
They wanted to include
a metis community,

141
00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,361
And they decided to
pick st. Laurent.

142
00:06:36,430 --> 00:06:39,431
They were interested in
st. Laurent because people here

143
00:06:39,499 --> 00:06:42,333
Are living a
contemporary version of

144
00:06:42,402 --> 00:06:44,569
How they've always lived.

145
00:06:44,571 --> 00:06:48,573
The metis people are still
doing what they did,

146
00:06:48,575 --> 00:06:50,875
You know, the fishing,
the language.

147
00:06:50,878 --> 00:06:52,177
We speak michif.

148
00:06:52,245 --> 00:06:54,012
It's the same way of life
that they've had

149
00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,748
For many, many years.

150
00:06:56,816 --> 00:06:59,250
Jacinthe was chosen to
represent the community

151
00:06:59,319 --> 00:07:00,852
As a co-curator.

152
00:07:00,921 --> 00:07:03,054
She invited people from the
smithsonian to come here,

153
00:07:03,122 --> 00:07:04,022
And they did.

154
00:07:04,090 --> 00:07:05,690
They came to our
winter festival.

155
00:07:05,758 --> 00:07:09,494
And we had this parade with
about 45 bombardiers.

156
00:07:09,562 --> 00:07:12,230
They loved it.
It was awesome.

157
00:07:12,299 --> 00:07:13,731
They were impressed
by everything,

158
00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:18,103
Especially when they laid eyes
on one of your legendary

159
00:07:18,171 --> 00:07:22,507
Ice fishing machines,
the "bombadeer".

160
00:07:22,575 --> 00:07:23,942
They loved it,
and they said,

161
00:07:24,010 --> 00:07:26,411
"you have to send it
for the exhibit."

162
00:07:26,479 --> 00:07:30,248
So, my husband and I,
we loaded it on a trailer,

163
00:07:30,317 --> 00:07:31,749
And we took off.

164
00:07:31,818 --> 00:07:35,386
People would drive alongside of
us taking pictures and,

165
00:07:35,389 --> 00:07:38,923
That was amazing.
Then we got there.

166
00:07:38,992 --> 00:07:43,862
It was unbelievable, we drove
in there by the museum.

167
00:07:43,930 --> 00:07:47,098
And the people were
waiting for us.

168
00:07:47,167 --> 00:07:50,035
They were all over the place.
They were on the roof.

169
00:07:50,103 --> 00:07:51,569
It was like little kids,
you know,

170
00:07:51,638 --> 00:07:54,072
They were just so excited to
see this thing.

171
00:07:54,140 --> 00:07:56,174
She said when they got there,

172
00:07:56,242 --> 00:07:57,609
The exhibit wasn't
even open yet.

173
00:07:57,677 --> 00:07:59,043
It was just employees there.

174
00:07:59,112 --> 00:08:00,879
They were given a
hero's welcome.

175
00:08:00,947 --> 00:08:04,249
People wanted to see this
crazy machine show up.

176
00:08:04,317 --> 00:08:07,418
They were fascinated by it.
I think that's very cool.

177
00:08:07,487 --> 00:08:09,153
I think, you know,
at the smithsonian,

178
00:08:09,222 --> 00:08:13,325
The world's largest complex
of museums and research

179
00:08:13,393 --> 00:08:17,729
Facilities for promoting
science and culture.

180
00:08:17,797 --> 00:08:20,131
That even there, people
still just want to come out

181
00:08:20,199 --> 00:08:22,200
To the parking lot to see
your sweet ride.

182
00:08:22,269 --> 00:08:24,135
[laughing]

183
00:08:24,203 --> 00:08:26,504
Because of the bombadeer,
we ended up with

184
00:08:26,573 --> 00:08:29,641
900 square feet of space
because we needed the room,

185
00:08:29,709 --> 00:08:32,544
So everybody else got
a smaller part.

186
00:08:32,546 --> 00:08:34,612
- Right, right, right.
- So, we had the biggest.

187
00:08:34,615 --> 00:08:37,815
The bombadeer ate into the
space of other people's.

188
00:08:37,818 --> 00:08:40,051
I don't know if that
caused any issues.

189
00:08:40,119 --> 00:08:42,186
I wouldn't want to be the
guy who's telling the navajo

190
00:08:42,255 --> 00:08:44,322
They can't sit up their
weaving loom because the

191
00:08:44,391 --> 00:08:46,891
Metis brought a friggin'
snow machine.

192
00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:48,359
[laughing]

193
00:08:48,428 --> 00:08:51,530
80,000 people, including
indigenous groups from across

194
00:08:51,598 --> 00:08:54,833
The americas, attended the
opening festivities.

195
00:08:54,901 --> 00:08:58,870
Jacinthe said that the amount
of support they were shown

196
00:08:58,938 --> 00:09:00,839
Was nothing short
of emotional.

197
00:09:00,907 --> 00:09:03,007
We were proud, you know,

198
00:09:03,076 --> 00:09:06,711
The metis people of
st. Laurent, manitoba.

199
00:09:06,779 --> 00:09:09,047
She said during the exhibit
at the smithsonian,

200
00:09:09,115 --> 00:09:11,616
There was a new pride.
You know, people said,

201
00:09:11,684 --> 00:09:14,519
"we're in the smithsonian.
We are metis".

202
00:09:14,587 --> 00:09:17,956
And the metis exhibit was in
place for 10 years,

203
00:09:18,024 --> 00:09:19,390
Actually 11 years.

204
00:09:19,459 --> 00:09:21,993
You got a one year
contract extension.

205
00:09:21,995 --> 00:09:25,263
And for 11 years, people could
go to the smithsonian.

206
00:09:25,332 --> 00:09:27,332
They could learn about
metis culture.

207
00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,500
They could see the
bombadeer,

208
00:09:29,569 --> 00:09:32,704
And look at interviews with
fishermen, and trappers.

209
00:09:32,706 --> 00:09:34,539
And musicians, and dancers,

210
00:09:34,541 --> 00:09:37,241
And hear the michif
language spoken.

211
00:09:37,244 --> 00:09:40,345
I think it's amazing that you
can see interviews with people

212
00:09:40,413 --> 00:09:44,582
From st. Laurent, not only
at the smithsonian,

213
00:09:44,585 --> 00:09:48,019
But after this airs,
on cbc gem.

214
00:09:48,088 --> 00:09:49,921
Both equally amazing.

215
00:09:49,989 --> 00:09:52,157
- [cheering & applauding]
- both equally amazing.

216
00:09:55,995 --> 00:09:59,364
♪

217
00:09:59,432 --> 00:10:01,633
I met a gentleman who says
he's not much good at

218
00:10:01,701 --> 00:10:04,268
Playing the fiddle, but when
he hears metis music,

219
00:10:04,337 --> 00:10:07,038
He likes to join in
with his recorder...

220
00:10:07,106 --> 00:10:10,108
Music archivist and the first
metis lieutenant governor

221
00:10:10,176 --> 00:10:13,411
Of manitoba, the honorable
yvon dumont.

222
00:10:13,479 --> 00:10:16,381
[cheering & applauding]

223
00:10:16,449 --> 00:10:19,917
Yvon was born for
public service, okay.

224
00:10:19,986 --> 00:10:23,855
He was designated secretary
treasurer of the

225
00:10:23,923 --> 00:10:29,427
Manitoba metis federation
at the age of 16.

226
00:10:29,496 --> 00:10:33,197
I was active in the community
at a very young age.

227
00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,266
We had a metis
local here called

228
00:10:35,268 --> 00:10:37,669
L'union nationale mestisse.

229
00:10:37,737 --> 00:10:40,304
And I was nominated to be
secretary treasurer,

230
00:10:40,373 --> 00:10:41,639
And I got elected.

231
00:10:41,708 --> 00:10:45,210
Like, that's a pretty
officious title to hold

232
00:10:45,278 --> 00:10:47,946
At the age of 16, right.
It's like...

233
00:10:48,014 --> 00:10:49,080
[knocking]

234
00:10:49,149 --> 00:10:51,783
"yvon dumont, secretary
treasurer of the manitoba metis

235
00:10:51,851 --> 00:10:54,185
Federation, please report to
the principal's office".

236
00:10:54,253 --> 00:10:56,354
[laughing]

237
00:10:56,356 --> 00:10:59,924
"we need to talk about
allocating funds for cultural

238
00:10:59,992 --> 00:11:02,827
Initiatives and about your
gum chewing, young man".

239
00:11:02,829 --> 00:11:04,763
[laughing]

240
00:11:04,831 --> 00:11:08,132
I represented the metis at the
first minister's conferences

241
00:11:08,201 --> 00:11:10,501
That led up to the
charlottetown accord.

242
00:11:10,504 --> 00:11:14,005
Not long after, I got a call
from the prime minister and

243
00:11:14,073 --> 00:11:15,239
He asked me if I
want to serve as

244
00:11:15,242 --> 00:11:18,342
Manitoba's lieutenant
governor, so I accepted.

245
00:11:18,345 --> 00:11:20,445
And as I traveled
around the country, I,

246
00:11:20,513 --> 00:11:22,447
I met a lot of metis people.

247
00:11:22,515 --> 00:11:24,849
I also ran into a lot
of musicians,

248
00:11:24,918 --> 00:11:27,652
And when there was music,
that brought up that spirit of,

249
00:11:27,721 --> 00:11:29,287
Of, of the people.

250
00:11:29,355 --> 00:11:32,457
Yvon said he always
loved metis music.

251
00:11:32,525 --> 00:11:34,759
He loved hearing it,
he loved talking about it.

252
00:11:34,827 --> 00:11:37,995
But he felt he could never
properly share it because

253
00:11:38,064 --> 00:11:39,297
There were no recordings.

254
00:11:39,365 --> 00:11:40,898
He got sick of saying
to people,

255
00:11:40,967 --> 00:11:43,201
"oh, the music
and the dancing.

256
00:11:43,269 --> 00:11:44,702
You should have seen it".

257
00:11:44,771 --> 00:11:47,605
I went to visit people in their
homes and their kitchens and

258
00:11:47,674 --> 00:11:50,341
Their living rooms and recorded
them playing the fiddle and,

259
00:11:50,410 --> 00:11:52,343
Singing songs and so on.

260
00:11:52,411 --> 00:11:54,979
And it's no longer
just in my head.

261
00:11:55,047 --> 00:11:57,315
He told me about the
red river jig,

262
00:11:57,317 --> 00:12:00,785
Which is like the national
anthem of the metis people.

263
00:12:00,853 --> 00:12:03,655
And here's where we see some
of the scottish influence.

264
00:12:03,723 --> 00:12:06,658
The scottish would come around
and the metis would hear that,

265
00:12:06,726 --> 00:12:09,527
The bagpipe, and they got a kind
of a different drone to them.

266
00:12:09,595 --> 00:12:12,797
And so, for the red river jig,
the big string on the fiddle—

267
00:12:12,865 --> 00:12:15,399
In those days— they tried
to tune it to the sound

268
00:12:15,468 --> 00:12:17,702
Of the of the,
of the bagpipe.

269
00:12:17,770 --> 00:12:20,772
Some fiddlers, they would take
the low string on the fiddle

270
00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:24,075
And tune it down
slightly out of tune,

271
00:12:24,143 --> 00:12:27,545
And that would sort of emulate
the drone of a bagpipe.

272
00:12:27,613 --> 00:12:28,713
It's pretty brilliant.

273
00:12:28,782 --> 00:12:31,115
I don't know who the first
person to think to do that was,

274
00:12:31,184 --> 00:12:32,350
You know what I mean.
"just hang on,

275
00:12:32,352 --> 00:12:34,452
See if this sounds
anything like a bagpipe.

276
00:12:34,454 --> 00:12:36,020
Okay, alright, let me try".

277
00:12:36,088 --> 00:12:38,656
[droning] "rrrr."

278
00:12:38,725 --> 00:12:41,659
Yeah, it really does,
you nailed it. Great.

279
00:12:41,661 --> 00:12:43,361
We were at a
metis gathering,

280
00:12:43,363 --> 00:12:45,897
And you could hear him
tune his fiddle different.

281
00:12:45,965 --> 00:12:48,333
You knew that the next tune was
going to be the red river jig.

282
00:12:48,401 --> 00:12:49,300
Oh, right.

283
00:12:49,368 --> 00:12:50,601
- Right?
- Yeah, yeah.

284
00:12:50,670 --> 00:12:52,970
I guess it's a bit like going
to a beach boys concert.

285
00:12:53,039 --> 00:12:54,539
You see john stamos come
out and you're like,

286
00:12:54,607 --> 00:12:56,541
"oh my god, kokomo,
just watch".

287
00:12:56,609 --> 00:12:59,377
"they're gonna do kokomo".
'cause john stamos—

288
00:12:59,445 --> 00:13:01,879
[laughing]

289
00:13:01,882 --> 00:13:03,414
Yvon said that
everybody plays the

290
00:13:03,482 --> 00:13:05,383
Red river jig
slightly differently.

291
00:13:05,451 --> 00:13:08,086
♪ [fiddle] ♪

292
00:13:08,154 --> 00:13:10,788
And on the fiddle for us was
brendan chartrand.

293
00:13:10,857 --> 00:13:13,758
♪

294
00:13:13,827 --> 00:13:16,327
And he said, "I play it in
a standard tune.

295
00:13:16,395 --> 00:13:18,095
I don't play it with the,
you know,

296
00:13:18,164 --> 00:13:20,431
The note lower down to
sound like a bagpipe".

297
00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:21,899
I said, "that's fine".

298
00:13:21,968 --> 00:13:24,735
[laughing]

299
00:13:24,804 --> 00:13:27,205
But it was great to see
the footwork and the

300
00:13:27,273 --> 00:13:29,107
Sashes and the skirts.

301
00:13:29,175 --> 00:13:30,908
And they had to
coax him a little bit,

302
00:13:30,977 --> 00:13:33,711
But eventually the dancers
got yvon to get up.

303
00:13:33,779 --> 00:13:35,413
He showed us some steps.

304
00:13:35,481 --> 00:13:37,715
But he tried to tell me
he couldn't dance.

305
00:13:37,783 --> 00:13:39,784
Well, let me tell you,
mr. Speaker.

306
00:13:39,853 --> 00:13:41,752
[laughing]

307
00:13:41,821 --> 00:13:45,990
The representative from
st. Laurent has the floor.

308
00:13:45,992 --> 00:13:48,492
He was doing some moves—
I didn't want to get up

309
00:13:48,561 --> 00:13:50,161
Because after watching yvon,
I was like,

310
00:13:50,229 --> 00:13:51,829
I can't second that motion.

311
00:13:51,898 --> 00:13:55,766
[cheering & applauding]

312
00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:58,403
♪

313
00:13:58,471 --> 00:14:02,673
The commercial winter fishery
in st. Laurent relies heavily

314
00:14:02,676 --> 00:14:06,143
On these 70, 80 year old
bombadeers.

315
00:14:06,212 --> 00:14:08,913
And nobody knows more about
keeping them running than the

316
00:14:08,915 --> 00:14:11,148
Owners of big interlake
mechanical,

317
00:14:11,217 --> 00:14:13,518
Wayland mckay and
jessica chartrand.

318
00:14:13,586 --> 00:14:16,955
[cheering & applauding]

319
00:14:17,023 --> 00:14:19,824
Wayland and jessica both have
roots in st. Laurent and

320
00:14:19,893 --> 00:14:23,895
Decided to move back here when
they were starting a family.

321
00:14:23,963 --> 00:14:25,930
Jessica said that this place
was the place that

322
00:14:25,998 --> 00:14:27,665
Always felt like home.

323
00:14:27,734 --> 00:14:32,336
The place where your people are,
where your family are,

324
00:14:32,405 --> 00:14:35,606
That's your best chance of
free babysitting.

325
00:14:35,675 --> 00:14:39,644
[laughing]

326
00:14:39,712 --> 00:14:42,480
Everywhere else kind of feels
like you're living somewhere.

327
00:14:42,548 --> 00:14:44,749
But when your roots
are from here,

328
00:14:44,751 --> 00:14:46,985
When you know that
you're from here...

329
00:14:47,053 --> 00:14:48,152
This is home.

330
00:14:48,220 --> 00:14:50,355
So, then we're like, well,
what should we do?

331
00:14:50,423 --> 00:14:53,358
And then, like, well,
wayland's a mechanic.

332
00:14:53,426 --> 00:14:56,227
So, they bought some land,
and they built a garage.

333
00:14:56,229 --> 00:14:58,562
Wayland's been a
mechanic for 20 years.

334
00:14:58,631 --> 00:15:01,999
And they sell everything from
bait to battery chargers,

335
00:15:02,068 --> 00:15:04,435
Fishing lures to lubricants.

336
00:15:04,437 --> 00:15:06,337
Motor oil, motor oil.

337
00:15:06,405 --> 00:15:09,040
- [laughing]
- come on.

338
00:15:09,108 --> 00:15:11,375
And there's quite a variety
of things in the garage.

339
00:15:11,444 --> 00:15:14,845
There are snowmobiles and
lawnmowers and skid steers.

340
00:15:14,914 --> 00:15:17,415
And of course,
a bombadeer.

341
00:15:17,483 --> 00:15:20,918
And I tell ya, it looks like...

342
00:15:20,987 --> 00:15:26,291
A panzer tank had a baby with
a volkswagen beetle.

343
00:15:26,359 --> 00:15:29,894
And all they fed it was
poutine and steroids.

344
00:15:29,962 --> 00:15:32,297
And they were always
very proud of it,

345
00:15:32,365 --> 00:15:36,367
But always wondered where it
got those portholes from.

346
00:15:36,436 --> 00:15:38,536
Why are these things
still kicking around

347
00:15:38,538 --> 00:15:40,071
After so many years?

348
00:15:40,139 --> 00:15:42,039
Well, they need 'em to be on
the ice and to get to

349
00:15:42,108 --> 00:15:44,909
Their nets in
very cold weather.

350
00:15:44,977 --> 00:15:45,876
- [laughing]
- yeah.

351
00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:48,245
It's a wild-looking machine!

352
00:15:48,248 --> 00:15:50,414
I asked wayland, I said,
"what year is it?"

353
00:15:50,483 --> 00:15:52,516
He said, "1945-ish".

354
00:15:52,519 --> 00:15:54,452
[laughing]

355
00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:57,255
Postwar, but barely.

356
00:15:57,323 --> 00:15:58,656
But it's hard to tell,
you know.

357
00:15:58,725 --> 00:16:01,225
He said, "it doesn't have tags.
It doesn't have a vin."

358
00:16:01,227 --> 00:16:02,694
You can't even really
tell from the parts—

359
00:16:02,762 --> 00:16:04,128
They've all been replaced.

360
00:16:04,130 --> 00:16:05,730
This particular one I
was looking at, like,

361
00:16:05,798 --> 00:16:08,265
The sunglasses holder...

362
00:16:08,334 --> 00:16:10,368
Is an empty beans tin...

363
00:16:10,436 --> 00:16:12,536
[laughing]

364
00:16:12,605 --> 00:16:16,073
That I estimated to be just
post chef boyardee.

365
00:16:16,142 --> 00:16:19,477
[laughing]

366
00:16:19,545 --> 00:16:21,612
But they all have these
different bits and bobs.

367
00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,081
Actually, this one
had a sunroof.

368
00:16:24,150 --> 00:16:26,351
[laughing]

369
00:16:26,419 --> 00:16:29,286
And wayland said,
"that's not a sunroof."

370
00:16:29,355 --> 00:16:32,623
He said, "if you go
through the ice,

371
00:16:32,625 --> 00:16:35,593
That's an escape hatch."

372
00:16:35,661 --> 00:16:37,862
I said, "well, I don't see why
it can't be both, but..."

373
00:16:37,864 --> 00:16:41,132
[laughing]

374
00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,168
I had a million questions for
wayland about the bombadeer.

375
00:16:44,236 --> 00:16:46,637
And of course,
the main one was...

376
00:16:46,706 --> 00:16:50,775
Can I drive it?
And he said, "yes."

377
00:16:50,843 --> 00:16:52,043
Oh, geez!

378
00:16:52,111 --> 00:16:54,111
[laughing]
it's got good traction.

379
00:16:54,114 --> 00:16:55,179
Oh, geez.

380
00:16:55,181 --> 00:16:56,347
Yeah, you just gotta
ease into it.

381
00:16:56,415 --> 00:16:57,749
Ease into it, okay.

382
00:16:57,817 --> 00:17:00,785
He let me drive it,
and I floored it!

383
00:17:00,853 --> 00:17:05,122
We must have been going, what—
140, 150 feet per hour.

384
00:17:05,125 --> 00:17:06,791
[laughing]

385
00:17:06,859 --> 00:17:08,959
That's basically
how fast you go.

386
00:17:09,028 --> 00:17:12,063
It was a lot of fun until
we had to head back.

387
00:17:12,131 --> 00:17:14,398
She doesn't have
power steering.

388
00:17:14,467 --> 00:17:17,701
It's got the turning radius
of a battleship.

389
00:17:17,770 --> 00:17:20,371
But then I thought, I guess if
you're out on a frozen lake,

390
00:17:20,373 --> 00:17:22,473
Turning isn't
really a big part—

391
00:17:22,475 --> 00:17:24,208
Hell, driving in
the prairies,

392
00:17:24,276 --> 00:17:26,277
Turning is not really
a big priority.

393
00:17:26,345 --> 00:17:28,579
[laughing & applauding]

394
00:17:32,084 --> 00:17:35,786
♪

395
00:17:35,855 --> 00:17:40,358
Winter fishing on lake manitoba
is a trade handed down

396
00:17:40,426 --> 00:17:42,493
From generation
to generation.

397
00:17:42,495 --> 00:17:45,596
I don't want to sound cold, but
you guys have ice in your veins.

398
00:17:45,664 --> 00:17:47,231
[laughing]

399
00:17:47,299 --> 00:17:50,701
I went down to the lake, and I
had a chat with an ice fishing

400
00:17:50,703 --> 00:17:53,838
Father who was handing the
line over to his son.

401
00:17:53,906 --> 00:17:56,907
I'm talking about tony
and jp carrier.

402
00:17:56,976 --> 00:18:00,377
[cheering & applauding]

403
00:18:00,446 --> 00:18:01,812
My dad was a fisherman.

404
00:18:01,881 --> 00:18:04,582
And all my brothers,
they're all fishermen.

405
00:18:04,650 --> 00:18:06,917
Is this sort of what
you envisioned

406
00:18:06,986 --> 00:18:08,385
That jp would be
doing as well?

407
00:18:08,454 --> 00:18:11,422
No, I told him to find himself
another career.

408
00:18:11,490 --> 00:18:12,756
[laughing]

409
00:18:12,825 --> 00:18:15,827
Jp took his advice:
He went off to university.

410
00:18:15,895 --> 00:18:17,394
Worked a number of
different jobs,

411
00:18:17,463 --> 00:18:20,698
But came back to do this
because he loves it.

412
00:18:20,766 --> 00:18:22,733
I just like fishing, I like
being outside.

413
00:18:22,801 --> 00:18:24,735
There's no bosses,
there's no...

414
00:18:24,804 --> 00:18:27,371
Hours, just go out and fish.

415
00:18:27,439 --> 00:18:30,675
He said, "well, you know, it's
not a typical work schedule.

416
00:18:30,743 --> 00:18:33,678
There's no bosses,
no set hours.

417
00:18:33,746 --> 00:18:36,814
You're just, you know,
out fishing with your family."

418
00:18:36,883 --> 00:18:38,749
And I thought, "geez, that
sounds pretty good."

419
00:18:38,818 --> 00:18:41,018
- "what's the catch?"
- he said, "mostly pickerel."

420
00:18:41,086 --> 00:18:43,787
[laughing]

421
00:18:43,856 --> 00:18:46,857
The last six, seven years,
it's been real good.

422
00:18:46,926 --> 00:18:48,659
There's good
money to be made.

423
00:18:48,727 --> 00:18:50,862
More people are getting into it.

424
00:18:50,930 --> 00:18:54,732
♪

425
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:56,367
- So, that's the jigger?
- Yeah.

426
00:18:56,435 --> 00:18:58,269
That looks more
like a toboggan.

427
00:18:58,337 --> 00:18:59,803
[laughing]

428
00:18:59,806 --> 00:19:02,773
Setting the nets is an
interesting process.

429
00:19:02,842 --> 00:19:04,041
♪

430
00:19:04,043 --> 00:19:05,910
You drill a hole in the ice.

431
00:19:05,978 --> 00:19:07,745
Ready?

432
00:19:07,813 --> 00:19:12,283
You take the jigger, and you
slide it down into the hole.

433
00:19:12,351 --> 00:19:14,118
And then, you get it
under there.

434
00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:16,787
And then you take a rope
and pull it this way,

435
00:19:16,855 --> 00:19:19,423
And the jigger goes that way,
somehow.

436
00:19:19,491 --> 00:19:21,425
[laughing]

437
00:19:21,494 --> 00:19:23,494
Are you trying to get to go in
a particular direction?

438
00:19:23,562 --> 00:19:26,063
Yeah, yeah, I want it to go
over there, so...

439
00:19:26,131 --> 00:19:28,966
This jigger, this contraption
is a bit like the bombadeer.

440
00:19:29,034 --> 00:19:31,802
Sometimes the older gear
is still the best gear.

441
00:19:31,870 --> 00:19:33,470
I mean, this is a design
that's been around

442
00:19:33,539 --> 00:19:35,472
Since the early 1900s.

443
00:19:35,541 --> 00:19:37,541
Still, you've never
had to rejig it.

444
00:19:37,610 --> 00:19:39,977
[laughing]

445
00:19:40,045 --> 00:19:42,680
♪

446
00:19:42,748 --> 00:19:46,250
I tell ya, the bombadeer
beasts live on.

447
00:19:46,318 --> 00:19:48,452
And at least now there's
a place to get them

448
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:50,354
Tuned up in town.

449
00:19:50,356 --> 00:19:53,958
You could drive one to the gig
and do the red river jig.

450
00:19:54,026 --> 00:19:56,360
It's just as fun without the
fiddle tuned down.

451
00:19:56,362 --> 00:19:57,828
[laughing]

452
00:19:57,896 --> 00:20:01,365
A decade in the smithsonian
brought a new sense of pride.

453
00:20:01,367 --> 00:20:03,500
The metis felt a shift.

454
00:20:03,569 --> 00:20:06,437
Around here today you'll
hear parents say,

455
00:20:06,439 --> 00:20:08,939
They hope their kids
get into michif.

456
00:20:09,008 --> 00:20:10,374
[laughing]

457
00:20:10,376 --> 00:20:12,042
Like the wicked witch
of the west,

458
00:20:12,111 --> 00:20:13,377
You're worried about water.

459
00:20:13,379 --> 00:20:15,679
Your trust in the lake
was thrown.

460
00:20:15,682 --> 00:20:18,816
But it seems to be instead,
you're more like dorothy,

461
00:20:18,884 --> 00:20:22,519
Who said, "well, you know,
there's no place like home".

462
00:20:22,522 --> 00:20:25,456
Fishing and fiddles at least,
it's much like down east,

463
00:20:25,524 --> 00:20:26,957
Where I'm headed now.

464
00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,461
But it's been great to know ya
and to go for a jaunt around

465
00:20:30,463 --> 00:20:33,530
St. Laurent and on the ice
of lake manitoba.

466
00:20:33,599 --> 00:20:34,898
Thanks for coming out,
everybody.

467
00:20:34,967 --> 00:20:37,034
You've been fantastic,
thank you!

468
00:20:37,102 --> 00:20:40,204
[cheering & applauding]

469
00:20:40,272 --> 00:20:42,840
Jonny had st. "lo-rent"
or st. "lo-ra"

470
00:20:42,908 --> 00:20:44,875
Flooded with
laughter tonight.

471
00:20:44,877 --> 00:20:45,876
It was great.

472
00:20:45,944 --> 00:20:47,044
That's a pickerel.

473
00:20:47,046 --> 00:20:48,479
Oh, look at that.

474
00:20:48,547 --> 00:20:51,415
The way you talked about our
community, what a good feeling.

475
00:20:51,483 --> 00:20:54,018
- You want to try and pull it?
- Sure.

476
00:20:54,020 --> 00:20:56,086
It gets really hard here,
at the end.

477
00:20:56,089 --> 00:20:57,621
Okay, well, never mind.

478
00:20:57,690 --> 00:20:58,922
[laughing]

479
00:20:58,991 --> 00:21:00,991
You could just tell that he was
interested in everything that

480
00:21:01,060 --> 00:21:02,559
He saw while he was here.

481
00:21:02,628 --> 00:21:04,228
So, you're gonna start
with your right foot.

482
00:21:04,297 --> 00:21:06,030
You kick out...

483
00:21:06,098 --> 00:21:07,398
Then you go down one.

484
00:21:07,466 --> 00:21:08,766
Okay, start again, start again.

485
00:21:08,834 --> 00:21:11,969
Jonny is a comedian, but
he's also a thinker and

486
00:21:12,037 --> 00:21:14,605
Maybe made our people
realize that, yeah,

487
00:21:14,673 --> 00:21:16,573
We are unique, and we should
be proud of it.

488
00:21:16,576 --> 00:21:18,342
Now you know the
basic stuff already.

489
00:21:18,411 --> 00:21:19,810
Hey, there we go.

490
00:21:19,878 --> 00:21:21,378
The metis pride.

491
00:21:21,447 --> 00:21:22,846
[laughing]

492
00:21:22,915 --> 00:21:25,349
[speaking michif]