The Indian and Metis Friendship Centre has existed in Winnipeg since 1959. It was the first Friendship Centre to open. (Leslie Hall. “Prairie Metropolis New Essays on Winnipeg Social History: The Early History of the Winnipeg Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, 1951-1968.” 2009, 223). Friendship Centres are bases operating on community needs and they are …
Continue reading "Aboriginal Education and Self Governance, 1970 onwards, by C.R.K."
The Aboriginal youth have faced, and continue to face, many challenges in Canada. With government enforced initiatives like the residential schools and the sixties scoop, there was a concerted effort by the Canadian government to de-Indianize the Aboriginal youth and have the future generations be assimilated into white colonial societies. However, these initiatives had catastrophic …
Continue reading "Aboriginal Youth Symposium and Conference, by M.H."
The Main Street Project (MSP) was legally inaugurated on January 4th, 1972 as a non-profit organization to make and maintain personal contact with people in the Main Street Area of Winnipeg, Manitoba. With a view to knowing and understanding their problems and directing them to appropriate resources when necessary. The Main Street Project idea originated …
Continue reading "IMFC programs – Main Street Project, by B.M."
“We have made a small beginning in doing our part to preserve our culture. Our race is in the spotlight on many occasions. We are being observed and it’s up to us to let our fellow Canadians know us as we would want to be known. As we become more united through the Indian council …
The Indian and Metis Friendship Centre in Winnipeg was founded in June of 1958. The purpose of this was to “establish a referral service for Indian and Metis people for the purpose of guidance and counselling on matters of employment, housing, education, health and other community services” (History of the Indian & Metis Friendship centre …
Continue reading "The Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, by B.O."
Folklorama is one of the largest and longest-running multicultural festival of its kind in the world. This two-week long festival began in 1970 as a celebration of Manitoba’s centennial and continues annually. Folklorama has the mission of bringing, promoting and celebrating diversity and cultural understanding within the city of Winnipeg. As well the vision of …
Continue reading "Folklorama and the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, by C.C."
November 2019 In 1981 Mary Richard, a leading figure and executive director of the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, along with another Indigenous activist Yvonne Monkman opened up the first Indigenous restaurant in Manitoba, Bungees. Located at 236 Edmonton in downtown Winnipeg, Bungees was branded by the media as an Ojibway and French multi-cuisine …
Researching the history of the Winnipeg Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, I came upon a 1972 article covering the opening of the 590 Main Street location in a publication called “The New Nation”. Further reading revealed powerful articles, written by Indigenous contributors about issues faced by Indigenous communities across Canada. These writers used the reach …
Continue reading "Voice of the Friendship Centre, by M. P. R."
The streets and alley-ways of Winnipeg are littered with tragedies and stories that are often left untold and forgotten. Events that may have headlined newspapers, are now shelved in libraries and left behind for curious history students to stumble upon decades later, like me. One such story is that of the assassination of a prominent …
Continue reading "Wong Sam and the Shooting on Alexander Street, by A.N."
While today Chinese Canadians comprise one of the largest ethnic populations in the country, the history of Chinese immigration to Canada has been fraught with systemic discrimination, labour violations, and racism. In large part due to the challenges faced by Chinese Canadian migrants, the voluntary associations that people became a part of were extremely important …
Continue reading "Extortion and the Red Scare in Winnipeg, by A.M."
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