Honouring Those Who Left Little Trace: Learning About The Northern Plains Indigenous Cultures at Wanuskewin Heritage Park

Wanuskewin Heritage Park is a National Historic Site focused on sharing the histories of the Northern Plains Indigenous peoples. From being home to the longest running archeological dig site in Canadian history to its trailblazing initiatives in Indigenous Tourism, it’s an important place to visit not only in Saskatchewan, but in Canada.

Travel often takes us to places where giant structures built by generations past stand before us. Sites and whole cities are built around these relics, reminding visitors of just how long civilizations have erected buildings and monuments to remember themselves by. But when value is only ascribed to these massive ancient structures, it leaves out those civilizations who took a more measured approach to using the land. Those who moved often, erecting temporary shelters that were taken down as quickly as they were put up. Those who saw nature’s gifts as a sacred blessing, not to be greatly manipulated or tampered with, and those who left the land in much the same way they found it.

To the Indigenous Great Plains Peoples living in the centre of the now divided United States and Canada, this was their truth. There was no hierarchical need to erect opulent tombs, construct monuments or forever enshrine and memorialize the people and practices of their culture. They let the lands dictate their way of life, and trusted it to do so, for better or worse.

So, in a world so infatuated with monument gazing and palace peeping, how do we cherish and honour these communities who left little trace behind? This is exactly what Wanuskewin Heritage Park sets out to do.

A Gathering Place for the Northern Plains Indigenous Peoples

Named “Wanuskewin” (ᐋᐧᓇᐢᑫᐃᐧᐣ) for the nēhiyawēwin (Plains Cree) word meaning “seeking peace of mind”, this land has been a sacred gathering place for more than 6000 years. Located in the rural outskirts of Saskatoon along the South Saskatchewan River in Opimihaw Creek Valley, these converging waterways attracted humans and animals alike to its shores. After the glaciers melted in the area around 9000 years ago, the grasslands as we know them today began to develop in this part of the country. Along with the grasslands came an essential piece of the Great Plains’ species: bison. As a result, nomadic Indigenous groups of the Northern Plains began to follow their primary source of sustenance across these lands as far back as 7000 years ago.

Part of what makes the site of Wanueskewin unique is its link to the communal hunting practices of the time. Northern Plains Peoples developed the use of bison jumps, where multiple people were needed to lure herds of bison over a steep valley’s edge or cliff, like that of Opimihaw Creek Valley. Archeological digs have revealed countless piles of bison bones, indicating that there is not only one, but there are at least two ancient bison jumps on the property of Wanuskewin today. Other digs have revealed rock art in the form of petroglyphs, artifacts from nomadic campsites and a medicine wheel.

Today, Wanuskewin is a recognized National Historic Site of Canada, but for the past 8 years they’ve been making their case for a UNESCO World Heritage designation. It’s a lengthy process, but if it’s approved, it could be the first world heritage site in Saskatchewan. When you come for a visit, it’s incredible to realize just how much peace of mind one can still find here, a mere stone’s throw away from the province’s largest city.

What to Expect on a Visit to Wanuskewin

Wanusekwin is a non-profit cultural and historical centre, and the community of volunteers and employees will make you feel welcomed from the moment you arrive. Open year-round, their visitor centre is home to an Interpretive Centre, a cafe, and many exhibits and presentation spaces.

Interpretive Centre

The Interpretive Centre is an excellent place to begin a visit, since it provides the necessary context for understanding the people and heritage of the land. Over the years, the Wanuskewin lands have been home to the Déne, nehiyawak (Plains Cree), Niiyanaan Lii Michif (Métis), Anishinaabe and Dakota peoples. Despite their distinctive languages and cultures, it’s been determined that Wanuskewin would have been a place where differences would have largely been set aside due to the abundance of the land.

As you make your way through the Interpretive Centre, you’ll learn more about each group’s place here, including their languages, culture and way of life on the land. You’ll also learn about the fascinating archaeological discoveries that have been made here over the years, including the fact that the more recent petroglyphs discovered on the property were actually uncovered by the park’s resident bison. The longer you spend learning about Wanuskewin, the more it really begins to feel like even the earth is playing a part in revealing the area’s history, too.

Galleries

The rotating gallery at Wanuskewin is the only Indigenous-led and curated gallery in Saskatoon, sharing works by Northern Plains Indigenous artists. Taking a look through these galleries on a visit is an excellent way to immerse yourself in local, Indigenous art and storytelling.

The park also has an artists-in-residence program, and many of the volunteers and staff enjoy creative outlets, too. This means there is always something inspiring to find in the galleries and gift shop during your visit.

Walking Trails

Whether you’re looking to learn more about Wanuskewin or simply looking for a little nature therapy, taking one or several of the Wanuskewin walking trails is a wonderfully immersive experience to better understand the land. There are well-marked trails with informative plaques that take you around the property, with different vantage points and places of interest along the way.

If you’re trying to decide which Wanuskewin trails to take during your visit, I’d recommend starting with the Circle of Harmony trail. This trail brings you to the site of the medicine wheel, and offers panoramic views of the Opimihaw Valley. Of course, if you have some time on your visit and you’re able bodied, each trail is worth walking around in its own right. This is what Chris and I did during our visit, and we really appreciated the opportunity to take a good walk and to learn along the way.

Plains Bison Herd

Bison sculpture along the Bison Viewing Trail

Many Canadians may know that by the late 1800s, Plains bison nearly became extinct in the prairies. Where there had once been tens of millions of Plains bison in and around the area of Wanuskewin, consumerism and aggressive hunting practices by European settlers nearly destroyed the species by the 19th century in the name of using their hides for expensive coats.

Due in part to the near eradication of the bison, the grasslands of North America have become one of the most endangered biomes in the world. Fortunately, a lot is being done to attempt remedy this now, nearly 150 years later. In partnership with Parks Canada, Wanuskewin is working to bring their own bison herd home—the first of their herd came to the park in 2019.

During your visit, you can walk the Bison Viewing Trail across from the Interpretative Centre to keep an eye out for them. They have quite a large area to roam around, and may not be visible during the time of your visit, which was the case for us. Regardless of whether you see bison on your visit or not, it should be reassuring to know that thinks to initiatives like Wanuskewin’s, there are approximately 500,000 Plains bison in the grasslands today.

Memorable Experiences to Plan Ahead For at Wanuskewin

On top of being an excellent place to come for a self guided visit, Wanuskewin is home to some incredibly unique experiences that you can take part in during your time in Saskatoon, depending on the time of year. On my most recent summertime visit with Chris, we were only able to participate in the Han Wi Moon Dinner, but there are many other worthwhile experiences that have caught my eye, too.

hAN wI mOON diNNER

If you’re visiting Saskatoon during the summer months and there’s a scheduled time for a Han Wi Moon Dinner, this one-of-a-kind cultural experience is definitely worth booking in advance. This intentional, thoughtful evening is open for anyone to book, and it’s designed to educate and share stories about the importance of the land. You’ll learn a lot about the history and culture of the Great Plains People, in addition to sampling one of Chef Jenni Lessard’s incredibly planned three-course dinners. Lessard is a Métis chef of Treaty Four Territory, and was the first female executive chef at Wanuskewin when she began in 2019.

The evening begins with a smudging ceremony led by one of the team members at Wanuskewin. Our coordinator for the evening was Honey Constant-Inglis, a Heritage Educator from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. She took us on a guided walking tour of the grounds before we made our way to the Tipi Village on site for our three-course dinner.

The only thing more inspiring than the setting of the Tipi Village under the early evening skies is the menu Lessard has prepared for guests of the Han Wi Moon Dinner. All dishes are made with traditional, local, organic and Indigenous ingredients, many of which have been foraged from the surrounding area. The mission here is to keep things as local and traditional as possible, and the whole menu is a real lesson in just how much can be made from simple, local ingredients.

Our three-course meal began with a welcomed course of Bannock Bread served with foraged chokecherry coulis and maple butter, made with Indigenous-owned, 100% New Brunswick maple syrup. It was followed by an Earth Salad course of local greens, Lakota squash puree, charred corn, heirloom beans, puffed wild rice and dry bison meat with foraged juniper vinaigrette. The main course was exceptional: Bison tenderloin seasoned with yarrow and harvested sage, smoked bison broth, crispy chanterelles with a nettle (foraged from the Wanuskewin grounds) and potato mash. Our memorable meal was rounded off with a traditional chilled Berry Stew with Birch whipped cream for dessert, which I’m still thinking about.

Bannock

Earth Salad

Bison Tenderloin

Berry Stew + Whipped Birch Cream

Muskeg & Mint Tea

Throughout the courses, we sipped on Saskatoon Berry infused water and blueberry and rose petal lemonade while chatting with other guests under the pink prairie skies. It was a real treat to watch Lessard and her team in action during the dinner portion of the evening. She shared her process for foraging with us: she always makes a tobacco offering when she forages, and tells the plants who is going to be eating it as she harvests. The Han Wi Moon Dinners are also entirely zero waste—everything goes into the broth pot. Lessard’s appreciation for the land encapsulates all that Wanuskewin represents—respect and honour the land, always.

With full bellies, the evening finished with a cultural presentation. In our case, it was a moving interpretive dance telling the story of First Nations communities from the pre-Contact era (prior to the arrival of Europeans) to the present day. It was followed by storyteller Dr. Ernie Walker sharing his discoveries, thoughts and feelings about Wanuskewin. We sipped on muskeg and mint tea and enjoyed cookies as we listened to Walker’s inspiring tales about the land, which drew us all in just a little closer to understanding the mysteries of this sacred place.

Other Experiences at Wanuskewin

While Chris and I were only able to experience the Han Wi Moon Dinner during our visit, which was truly such a special experience, it seems there are so many more unique experiences to take part in at Wanuskewin. If our dinner experience was any indication, I think it’s safe to say that quality programming and intentional design of these experiences is at the forefront of the team’s minds at Wanuskewin.

Other experiences include Guided Tours and Tipi Sleepovers, but you can find the full list of current experiences on their website.

A Model for Canada’s Next Wave of Tourism at Wanuskewin

In the time that’s passed since I first started travelling and learning more about the world and Canada, it’s impossible to suggest that tourism hasn’t changed. More and more travellers are looking for responsible ways to travel—whether that involves learning more about the complex histories of the lands they’re visiting, supporting hyper-local business owners, initiatives and experiences, or sampling local delicacies and cuisine while they’re on the road, each of these signs point to the way Wanuskewin is doing things here in Saskatchewan. As we enter this new phase of tourism in Canada focused on what makes each place stand out among the rest, Wanuskewin should be looked to as a model for this change. Not only for the authentic, hyper-local experiences and programming it offers visitors, but for the access it offers to more deeply connect with local lands.

As travellers, sometimes we rely too heavily on structures from the past to paint a concise story or construct an abridged narrative in our minds. We snap a photo, we check a box, we read a plaque, we move on. But as you walk the trails and hear from the ancestors of the Great Plains Peoples at Wanuskewin, you can take the time to imagine for yourself what this past might have looked like. You don’t need an ancient castle, a fortress, a statue or an ampitheatre when you have the valley, the river, the medicine wheel and the land.

As Dr. Ernie Walker tells us at the Han Wi Moon Dinner, “[there’s] a magnet drawing people into this place”. It’s true. With the few small relics there are at Wanuskewin from those who left little trace, visitors are all the more drawn into learning about these lands and their stories. We must do our part to continue to learn, imagine and honour the traditions of the ancient Great Plains Peoples so that we can value, cherish and preserve these lands for years to come.

I want to thank Tourism Saskatchewan for hosting Chris and I as media during our visit to Wanuskewin. All opinions expressed are completely my own.