Inside this massive Indigenous festival where Metis heritage and self-government collide

A procession of dignitaries walk into the opening ceremonies at Batoche. (Allison Bamford/CTV News)

BATOCHE, Sask. - Amongst a lively celebration of culture, dancing and music, serious talks are taking place about how Saskatchewan’s Metis people will be governed in the future.

Tens of thousands of Metis people from across Canada gather at Batoche, Sask., every summer for one of the country’s largest outdoor Indigenous festivals.

This year, reclaiming Metis identity and self-governance are key topics of conversation.

“It is our inherent right to be self-determining and self-governing,” said Brennan Merasty, minister responsible for self-government and justice with Metis Nation-Saskatchewan.

“That was the vision of our leader and founder, Louis Riel, and that is the path forward,” he said.

Metis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) is in negotiations with the federal government to sign a treaty that would recognize the nation’s right to govern themselves, while granting jurisdiction to manage internal affairs and core governance matters.

The treaty will include further details in key areas such as harmonizing laws and resolving disputes, according to the federal government.

“For over 150 years, we have been struggling in regard to recognition from Canada,” MN-S President Glen McCallum told CTV News.

Both MN-S and the federal government say they are working to foster that relationship.

The two parties have finalized a draft of the treaty that is now being reviewed by Ottawa.

“It takes a while to get to this stage, but we are really happy to be making this step and then the following steps,” said federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty, who attended the opening ceremonies at Batoche, Sask.

Metis leaders said they were hoping to reach an agreement that would coincide with the Batoche celebrations.

Alty told CTV News there is “no hold up,” rather the government is just following its regular process.

“Sometimes it does not happen (when we want), but we will make it happen,” McCallum said.

“Our people are looking forward to that.”

Once the draft is reviewed, Alty said there is a series of procedural steps that need to take place, including a ratification vote amongst the Metis nation.

The minister could not provide a timeline for when the treaty might be implemented.