Hours Update: Heritage Park is open year-round! Gasoline Alley Museum, the Heritage Plaza shops, The Selkirk and the Railway Café are open Monday, March 23 for Spring Break. Historical Village reopens May 16, 2026. Click here for full operating hours.
Hours Update: Heritage Park is open year-round! Gasoline Alley Museum, the Heritage Plaza shops, The Selkirk and the Railway Café are open Monday, March 23 for Spring Break. Historical Village reopens May 16, 2026. Click here for full operating hours.
Louis Riel has long been considered the political leader of the Métis people and the father of Manitoba. But his profile is contested by historians, representing a spectrum ranging from a villain who committed treason to a hero who fought for the rights of the Métis people; a delusional leader who started a cult to a spiritual visionary who sought the reform of the Catholic Church. This talk will draw from Riel’s published writings, consisting largely of letters and poems, as well as the unpublished Riel Collection at the University of Calgary Archives and Special Collections.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
This event is part of the series: Culturally Speaking Presentation Series
Craig is a musician-scholar who composes original songs that engage with Indigenous histories and worldviews. His educational projects include The Songs of Justice Project (2021), which examines historical and contemporary relations between Indigenous peoples and governments in Canada while highlighting the political and spiritual significance of Louis Riel, and The Animal Kinship Project (2024), which explores the presence and impact of animals. He is in the early stages of a third project dedicated to Louis Riel and Métis history. A citizen of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government (formerly Métis Nation of Alberta) and member of Métis Local 87, he received the inaugural Excellence in the Arts award at the 2023 Métis Recognition Awards in Calgary. Craig teaches in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary and previously served as Director of the International Indigenous Studies Program.
To access the Railway Orientation Centre, enter the Railway Café and proceed to the room on the right-hand side from the entrance.
1900 Heritage DR. S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2V 2X3
Email: info@heritagepark.ca
Phone: 403.268.8500
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