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

A proud symbol of Métis 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 Métis people are well represented in educational roles.

The program emphasizes Métis history, the Michif language and anti-racist and anti-oppressive education — and now it's got a tangible and reverberating symbol 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's made 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. 

The Métis man from the Qu'Appelle Valley is  a well-known Red River cart builder in the province. He says each cart takes about 200 hours to complete.

"They really wanted a symbol, and there's nothing more symbolic for Métis 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 Métis symbolism."

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 sister is 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.