Batoche is buzzing this weekend as the opening ceremonies for the 43rd annual Back to Batoche Days. In addition to all of the usual events that come with the Metis heritage, there is one event that is making this year’s event extra special.
The long lost Bell of Batoche will be making its way back to the national heritage site. According to the President of the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan, Robert Doucette, it is more than just a bell.
“It was a symbol of spirituality,” explained Doucette. “It was a symbol of our culture, and for 128 years, it was lost.”
In June, a Manitoba Metis group announced that they had negotiated a deal for the bell to be returned. The bell was first removed from Batoche in 1885 by Canadian soldiers after the battle of Batoche, but for the last 22 years, the location of the bell had been unknown.
For all the history that’s been celebrated at Batoche over the years, there has always been a missing piece to the puzzle. But tomorrow, after more than a century, the Bell of Batoche is returning home.
