Michif Metis Crafts Plus

Thank you for visiting our new Internet site. As an up-to-date business, dealing primarily with culture and cultural crafts, we want to give you the opportunity to stay in touch with our company and our offers. A new content management system will enable us to always keep you up to date.

At present, our web site is still under construction. We are making an effort to present you with our entire spectrum of offers as soon as possible. At this point we can provide you with information regarding our Michif Metis Crafts Plus. The emphasis of our site is on bringing to the public authentic Metis crafts created from ourselves and other Metis Artists. This topic is certainly of interest to you. Check this site later, please, as there is much more to come.

In the meantime you can reach us at 250-676-0096 and by fax at 250-676-0069. We are looking forward to hearing from you. You can also contact us at our e-mail address: thedales84@gmail.com.

If you are not familiar with our company and your first contact with us is online: We would be pleased to hear from you! Please let us know what your needs and questions are, we will be more than happy to help.

In brief, you should know the following about us: our company was established in 2006 and had been responsible for providing outstanding service and products ever since. Our specialty is in the area Metis crafts and artwork as well as genealogy research and the Michif Metis Museum - website - www.michifmetismuseum.org. You can also email us at the museum's email address: metismuseum@yahoo.ca.  Our regular customers particularly value our community spirit and service. Our business is located at 337 Bernard Road, Vavenby, BC.

Some of the service the Michif Metis Museum has brought to the various communities are as follows:

BRIEF HISTORY OF MICHIF HISTORICAL & PRESERVATION SOCIETY   LAST 8 YEARS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE   1999

November – Patrick Reed steps down and retires as Museum curator after three years, Dale Haggerty was invited to take his place by the Society Board members.
 
December 31st - Millennium First Night Festival – first on-tour display of the Michif Métis Museum

2000

March – after many days and hours of negotiations, artifacts dating back to 1830 and held in a church vault were finally returned to the Métis people, represented by the Métis Museum and into the Museum’s care, from the Bishop of the Victoria Archdioceses of the Anglican Church – in a special ceremony held called Bringing the Past Into the Future (Dale Haggerty’s first assignment as curator).

May – Michif Historical Society’s first organized multi-cultural dance (New Westminster)
 
May – Cloverdale Rodeo Powwow – SACS (Surrey Aboriginal Cultural Society) – museum display on-tour.

June – National Aboriginal Day – celebration in City of Vancouver – museum display on-tour
 
July – Harrison Hot Springs – Folk Festival museum display on-tour – first time in a Provincial event – Folk Festival organization commented on our museum display, he noted that it was the largest attended display in the history of the Folk Festival.
 
November – Helped set up and organize Elder’s dinner – Louis Riel Day (Dale Haggerty’s first assignment as elected President of the Michif Historical and Cultural Preservation Society)

Sept – Dec – Surrey, Langley, Delta School District – museum cultural presentations (approximately 20 schools).

2001

January – MNC AGM – museum display on-tour February – Invitation by New Westminster School District to put on presentation.
 
March – White Rock Secondary School powwow – museum display on-tour.
 
March – May – three month youth project – from proposal accepted by MPCBC – Youth Council – many projects were created such as sash weaving, jigging, beading, Michif language classes.
 
March – Cranbrook Aboriginal Youth Conference – museum display on-tour as well as cultural presentations and teachings (crafts)  

April – Delta School – powwow
 
April through to 2002 – March – BC Aboriginal Youth project
 
May – Cloverdale Rodeo powwow – SACS – museum display on-tour
 
June – National Aboriginal Day – celebration in City of Vancouver – museum display on-tour
 
July - Red River West Rendezvous – museum on tour

November – Helped set up and organize Elder’s dinner – Louis Riel Day

Sept. – Dec. – School Métis cultural presentations
 
2002

March - White Rock Secondary School powwow – museum display on-tour
 
March – Cranbrook Aboriginal Youth Conference
 
March – June – attended approximately 6 Aboriginal powwows – museum display on-tour
 
June – National Aboriginal Day – celebration in City of Vancouver – museum display on-tour
 
July – Red River West Rendezvous – museum display on-tour
 
July – First international invitation to Yakama, Wash. USA All – Nations Powwow – museum display on-tour and parade (Red River Cart)
 
August – Métis Family Services/Michif Historical Society – created the first Métis children’s camp – project was named – Mooshum and Kookum’s Children’s Camp held at a local band’s (Scowlitz First Nation) recreational RV camp.
 
November – Helped set up and organize Elder’s dinner – Louis Riel Day  

Sept. – Dec. – School Métis cultural presentations

2003

June 21 – Aboriginal Day – Cultural Awareness Day BBQ at museum parking lot and helped feed the homeless.

July – Opening of the Métis Outpost celebrations – museum on-tour display invitation
 
August – First inter-provincial invitation to Alberta – Big Valley – The Hivernant Métis Rendezvous  

August – Aboriginal Elder’s Conference – Museum display on-tour

August – Métis Family Services/Michif Historical Society - Mooshum and Kookum’s Children’s Camp held at a local band’s (Scowlitz First Nation) recreational RV camp.  

November – Helped set up and organize Elder’s dinner – Louis Riel Day

2003 – 2005

Museum was put in storage, but displays and presentations were still being done up to and including the present time including teepee displays, e.g. New Westminster Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Day,
Vancouver Métis Association celebrations, Surrey Art Gallery, Veteran displays at the Vancouver Burrard Armory for November 11th, Veteran’s week participations in BC Place Stadium and continuing the tradition of the yearly Elder’s dinners as well as presentations facilitator in all the school districts in the Lower Mainland by invitation.

2005

Museum was totally and finally taken out of storage and set up on Edmonds Street in Burnaby, next to the North Fraser Métis Association.

2006

March – Small Métis museum display (first in the Interior) was set up at the Clearwater Secondary School Powwow.
 
March - Museum was partially brought up from Burnaby to Vavenby in mini-bus that was recently donated by Métis Family Services main branch to be set up

June 21-22 – National Aboriginal Day Museum presentations and craft participations – Clearwater Elementary and Vavenby Elementary schools

July 01st – Canada Day teepee display at the Clearwater Information Centre

August 04-07 – B.C. Day (Great Canadian Music Explosion), Clearwater Festival Celebrations, teepee displays and Museum Trading Post and Gift Shoppe.
 
August 09-12 – Museum teepee display and Museum Trading Post and Gift Shoppe - Hivernant  Métis Rendezvous – held this year at Big Valley, Alberta

August 13 – Formation of partnership with the opening of the Museé Michif a section of the Delia Museum in Delia, Alberta
 
September 09 – As a representative of the Michif Historical and Cultural Preservation Society. I was honoured to attend the ‘Dedication’ Ceremony of the opening of the Museé Michif in Delia, Alberta  

Much more to follow…. More museum branches planned to be set up by request in the near future around various BC communities as well as on-tour Museum displays and presentations by invitation and a mobile Museum (mini-bus) covering BC and parts of Alberta….  

In short, wanting to escape the hectic life in the Lower Mainland, we purchased a home in Vavenby almost three years ago, took an early semi-retirement and a year last June finally moved up from the Surrey area. The Michif Métis Museum was located in Surrey, but after 25 years in the same building, the Society was given a months notice to vacate their premises after the property was purchased by a new owner.   

It went into storage for about two years, bye and bye, through a very generous offer made by the North Fraser Métis Association, the opportunity came to set up a smaller display in a room near the Association at a location on Edmonds Street in Burnaby.  This left about half the museum artifacts
needing to have another new home. 

It was recently decided by the Michif Historical and Cultural Preservation Society Board members that my husband, Dale who is the President and curator, bring the remaining artifacts up to the Clearwater area.  Fortunately, at the same time, a mini-bus was kindly donated to the Society by Métis Family Services in Surrey.
 
This bus is now in the process of being set up as a Mobile Museum and when completed will transport the Museum displays to many areas throughout B.C. and parts of Alberta.  In the meantime, the Museum remains active in our own Vavenby and Clearwater communities by being displayed at the local schools along with presentations, as well as being displayed at community events such as the July 1st Canada Day celebration.

Next event, the “Great Canadian Music Explosion” Family Festival in conjunction with a “BC Day Celebration” August 5, 6 and 7th.  We look forward to seeing everyone come by to meet and visit us and enjoy the Michif Métis Museum displays, which will be located in the "Spirit Bear Village"!

August 5, 6 and 7th, the Museum display was the hit of the Great Canadian Music Explosion along with many other exhibits as well as the Music events themselves.  We are hoping to set up another display as invited during future Festivals.  

August 8, 9, 10, and 11th hosted another Hivernant Rendezvous in Big Valley, Alberta, where our Michif Métis Museum was present, representing the province of BC.  Artifacts were loaned to the Michif Museé for a period of one year, to receive more exposure and for more communities to enjoy while our museum in BC converts the mini-bus into a mobile museum, and that the artifacts were not kept in storage during the process.  

September we were invited to participate in the Dedication of the Michif Museé in Delia, Alberta (our sister museum).  The event went off spectacularly and plans were made for the Summer of 2007 for the new Delia/Hands Hills Rendezvous/Gathering and the Michif Métis Museum’s representation at this event.  

2007  

May 03 – 05 – Transferred the Michif Métis Museum from Edmonds Street to Vavenby to be installed in our newly converted mini-bus – Mobile museum – a small amount of artifacts are to be kept on the Lower Mainland with our Cultural Director and Liaison, Derrick Whiteskycloud for presentations and displays in that area.  

May 24th – Derrick Whiteskycloud, the Michif  Métis Museum Cultural Director and Liaison for the Lower Mainland, gave a museum presentation at the Institute of Indigenous Studies (Knowledge Network) (BCIT).  

June 07 – Dale Haggerty, museum curator – is invited to put on a museum display and gave a presentation to classes at the Vavenby Elementary School.  

June 21st – National Aboriginal Day Celebration – Representation from the Michif Métis Museum  

July 27 – 29th – We will be representing the province of BC and the Michif Métis Museum at the Delia/Hands Hills Rendezvous/Gathering.  The museum will also be doing a artifact exchange at that time with the sister museum in Delia.

WE'LL BE KEEPING YOU INFORMED OF THE MUSEUM EVENTS, PLEASE CHECK BACK OFTEN.....

Also, please check out our other websites - www.quanshed.com and www.ddhenterprises.biz

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