treated
in detail is the opening event which introduced the White man to
Manitoba. The incident would be the arrival of the 17 meter ketch
"Nonsuch" which sailed from England in 1668 with orders
to explore the Hudson Bay area for a base to open the fur trade.
The success of the voyage led to the founding of the Hudson's Bay
Company two years later and the beginning of commerce in western
Canada. The ship, which is located in the museum, is one of the
finest replicas in the world and has made her own historic
voyage. She was built in England to celebrate the tercentenary of
the Hudson's Bay Company in 1970 and sailed 14,000 kilometers
before finally berthing at the Museum. The museum was literally
built around it. In rooms off to
the side of this great ship are
trophies and treasures beyond compare. In 1670, a Royal Charter
granted the "Governor and Company of Adventurers of England
Trading into Hudson's Bay" exclusive rights to the resources
of nearly one-third of Canada. This would be later expended to
the Pacific Ocean. The Hudson's Bay Company's Museum Collections
spans three centuries with more then 10,000 artifacts. Initiated
by Company officials in 1920, the Collection is one of the
world's most significant historic resources. The Hudson's Bay
Company donated 
its artifact collection to the
Manitoba Museum in 1994 for the benefit of all Canadians. The
collection is an enduring legacy of the remarkable spirit of
human creativity, perseverance and accomplishment on the part of
European-Canadian and Aboriginal commercial traders. One-half of
the Collection originated in First nations, Metis and Inuit
communities, and illustrates traditional lifestyles and unique
adaptations to the world of the commercial fur trade.In an unrelated area, I found a curiosity not seen before. An example of a "missing link" in biological terms. When a group of animals such as reptiles evolves into another group such as birds, there exists for a relatively short period of time, intermediate species which have certain characteristics of both groups ( e.g. teeth and feathers). The chances of finding intermediate
species in the fossil record are
very small and so these suspected forms have been called
"missing links." 140 million years ago, a gliding,
reptile-like animal was buried in the sediments of a tropical
lagoon. In 1861 this fossil was discovered in a limestone quarry
in Bavaria. The skeleton was typically reptilian but impressions
of feathers, were also present. This unique creature was named.
Ardchaeopteryx, meaning "ancient wing" This creature,
the first known bird - ran over the ground on strong hind legs,
and climbed trees with the aid of clawed forelimbs. This
crow-sized bird was unable to fly but glided from the tree tops
when searching for fruit and insects and escaping predators. The
appearance of claws at a point where the wings bend is most
unusual.Another aspect of the land and its people was an explanation of the strange stone piles found all along the Trans-Canadian highway. Obviously stacked by man, these creations are everywhere in the Province. Known as Inukshuit, their origins and use have captured the imagination of those
unfamiliar with the traditional
lifestyles of the Arctic and Subarctic peoples. According to
Inuit (Eskimo) and Indian elders, these structures were vital
elements to their quest for survival in one of the world's most
demanding environments. For these nomadic people, rock formations
and outcrops, prevailing winds and bodies of water all served as
indicators of location for those capable of reading them. In
addition to natural landmarks, the Inuit utilized Inukshuit on
heights of land to aid them in charting their course in difficult
waters and to mark the way while travelling in winter over the
windswept snowdrifts which obliterated familiar ground. It is
believed that when hunting caribou during fall and spring, Inuit
and Chipewyan hunters built inukshuit or "caribou
fences" which were used to drive herds towards water
crossings or crescent-shaped stone hunting blinds where hunters
waited in ambush. While the Inuit favored parallel or converging
lines of stone cairns, the Chipewyan preferred rows of single
stones. In studying caribou behavior, archaeologists have
discovered that the animals are attracted to the inukshuit out of
curiosity and will follow them for some distance. Human-like
versions of the inukshuit, are still erected in some Arctic
communities and have become symbols of the North and the enduring
cultural heritage of the Inuit people.In finishing the tour, I had to stop by and admire a small but significant exhibit. The main reason for our discomfort in this town. There are about 20 species of mosquitoes in the Boreal Forest
of Manitoba. The most troublesome of which are
members of the Genuss Aedes. Scientists distinguish two groups of
these biting insects on the basis of their life cycle. Summer
Aedes significant only in the southern fringe of the Boreal
Forest, they live in open treeless areas in the transition zone.
Although the adults live for only a month, there may be two or
more generations during the summer, depending on the amount of
rain.Snow pool or Boreal Aedes are more numerous and troublesome then the summer species, they hatch as the snow melts and live for periods of up to 4 months, laying several batches of eggs if a blood supply is available. They have only one generation per year. The adults are most active shortly before and after sunrise and sunset. These mosquitoes hide during the
day in
moist grassy areas but if disturbed, or if the humidity is high,
the females will leave the protection of the grasses and actively
seek out blood supplies.There is a lot to see here so take some time and good walking shoes. When you leave you will have a good feeling for the land, times an people of this Province. With all this knowledge to absorb I had worked up an appetite and thus we wandered down along the swollen river banks of an area called the Forks where I found for a few loonies ( slang for the gold dollar coin of Canada) a caribou rati, Curried Caribou inside a square folded burrito. Yun-yum.
