The COVID-19 pandemic has been really hard on most of us in one way or another. Patronizing local businesses is a great way to help our neighbours as well as ourselves in the long run and if they can open and keep everyone safe, why not visit?
As soon as I heard that Wanuskewin would be reopening over the September long weekend, I had to go. I haven’t been since my exchange partner from Germany was visiting in the mid-’90s. A few years later, I moved to Calgary and I believe it was around that time that the heritage site became a convention center. By the time I moved back to Saskatoon, I heard that they were just reopening as a museum but I never had a chance to visit. Thanks to the pandemic, the need for exercise is great so I grabbed a friend and headed out for an educational morning hiking the trails.
Understandably, not much is open there right now. You can visit the art gallery, restaurant, and gift shop but it was tricky as they’re small spaces and only a few people at a time could go in. But it didn’t matter as I was there for the trails. Four trails covering several different types of land and highlighting life in the plains for the First Nations. Yes, there was a tepee to crawl into (others were taken down for the time being for safety) but the lands were also a gathering spot for thousands of years. The beauty of the land is undeniable but also useful for hunters as the cliffs in the area provided the perfect spots to drive bison to their doom and provide food and clothes for the people. One area we passed was listed as a “Bison Processing Plant” which sounds hilarious to modern people but makes complete sense when you hear more about the hunting and coming together of the first people on the prairie.
I highly recommend a visit for perspective and yes, for a good walk. We didn’t stay for the tours or for the dancing but I will definitely be back this year many times!
