Exploring Indigenous Histories

A Run Series with Dr. Brian Rice

Join us for a run in our multi-part run series, "Exploring Indigenous Histories," featuring special guest Dr. Brian Rice, a professor at the University of Manitoba.

This series offers the opportunity to connect with the land and learn about the rich and complex Indigenous histories of Treaty 1 territory, specifically within the Winnipeg area.

Dr. Rice will share his expertise, enriching our understanding of the places we run. His work has focussed on providing a foundation for understanding the historical narratives that have shaped Indigenous communities.

Each run will be held at a historically significant location commonly used as a training and playground for runners in the area. These group runs will provide the opportunities for runners to engage in a different way with the landscapes that hold centuries of Indigenous stories.

Each run will first feature a guided run at an easy pace, where attendees can expect to stop frequently to learn some of the stories of the land. Following one loop under Dr. Rice’s guidance, we invite runners to run as many additional loops as they’d like at their own pace.

This run will take us through the town of St. Norbert. We’ll begin at John Baptiste Charret Park one of the older Metis leaders of the Red River around 1812. Run south into the Lemay Forest and follow the trails along the Red River. Then we’ll turn on to St. Pierre Street pass old Catholic church to Pollock Island Park and take trail to where the LaSalle and Red Rivers meet. This was a main bison hunter’s drop off point to Portage La Prairie or Metis settlements in North Dakota like Pembina towards St Paul Minnesota. It’s also the site of oldest artifact in Manitoba: an 8,000 year old spear point. We’ll head back along the LaSalle River to monastery, museum and St. Norbert Market. We anticpate this route to be approximately 7 km.

St Norbert is located at the confluence of the Red and La Salle Rivers, and was a vital meeting place and transportation route for Indigenous peoples for millennia. Its strategic location made it a significant site for trade, travel, and seasonal encampments, long before European settlement. For the Métis, St. Norbert holds particular importance as a historic settlement and a key location during the Red River Resistance.

Through this series, we aim to continue our work toward reconciliation by providing community-based, experiential learning. Actively engaging with the Indigenous history of the trails we run, teaches us about the enduring presence and contributions of Indigenous peoples in Manitoba and helps us recognize the layers of history embedded in these familiar landscapes.

Come run, learn, and reflect with us as we journey together on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininewuk, Dakota Oyate, and Red River Métis. By highlighting the historical significance of the locations to Indigenous peoples, it helps to ensure that these histories are not forgotten.

Run details:

Time: Meet at 9:00 am at Charret Park, 3310 Pembina Hwy, welcome and start at 9:15 am. Expect the first loop to take 1-1.5 hours.
Where: St. Norbert. We’ll explore St. Norbert with Dr. Rice before heading over to the single track for a bonus loop of some single track.