As a key Manitoba tourist attraction, the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (RAMWC) is an award-winning heritage institution, founded in 1974 from a desire to preserve and promote Canada’s rich aviation heritage.
In 2020, the museum began the large undertaking of building its new 86,000 square foot world-class building directly on the grounds of the Winnipeg International Airport. During this time, much restoration and envisioning went into planning this multi-year transformation. Rather than simply displaying information and artifacts, RAMWC wanted to deeply connect its visitors with Canada’s rich aviation history through storytelling. Right from the beginning, this meant including stories of Indigenous Peoples in aviation.
By appointing its first Curator of Indigenous History and Culture, Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, Indigenous stories were collected through engagement with community Elders and youth. In addition, the museum’s first ever Indigenous Inclusion Strategy was developed.
“What this museum is ultimately about is about talking about the past, talking about what has happened; the good, the bad, the great, the ugly parts, but then also figure out a way for us to fly in the skies together; To be able to help one another, to learn about the histories and perspectives of this place, and to be able to trade in those stories in a way that we can live together into the future.” –Dr. Niigaan Sinclair.
This support will ensure RAMWC can continue educating, entertaining, and inspiring its audiences through reflective and inclusive stories of aviation in western Canada for many years to come.
Indigenous stories are now being told at one of Canada’s key tourist attractions (length: 2:57 minutes)
Transcript: Indigenous stories are now being told at one of Canada’s key tourist attractions
[Music]
[Video starts with a few clips showing the exterior of the Royal Aviation Museum building]
Terry Slobodian: I’m Terry Slobodian, President and CEO of the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
[Video transitions to Terry Slobodian sitting on a chair in museum, speaking to camera]
[Video rolls through historical images and clips of planes, and then transitions to various clips of students gathered around one of the museum exhibits]
Terry: Our mission is preserve and promote the stories of Western Canada in Aviation, while we inspire, educate and entertain our visitors.
[Quick montage of various exhibits and artifacts within the museum]
[Video transitions back to Terry sitting on a chair in museum speaking to camera]
Terry: It’s a must-see attraction because first of all, it’s an amazing building on the one hand, but I believe we’ve captured the history very well of aviation and aerospace of Manitoba so I think it’s an opportunity for families to come and learn about our story as Manitobans.
[Video shows clips of museum’s exterior and interior, with various planes and exhibits shown]
Terry: We also have an education program where we provide 14 different curriculum based courses which are from kindergarten to grade 12. We’ve had more than 5,000 students through our doors taking those courses.
[Video shows more clips of youth at the museum]
Terry: The support from PrairiesCan was very very important because once the building was done, we needed to fund the exhibits. ‘Norway House’ and ‘Northern Connections’ are the two exhibits that have the most Indigenous content, so that enabled us to tell the stories.
Text on screen: PrairiesCan support went towards developing exhibits that tell stories of Indigenous people in aviation
[Video shows various exhibits and artifacts at the museum, including a sign that says Norway House]
Terry: So right from the very first meeting, we had Dr. Sinclair and Indigenous representation right from day one. That was obviously very very helpful because we had the advantage that most organizations don’t, of starting from scratch.
[Video transitions to clips of planes inside the museum, students walking through museum, and a view of a plane on a tarmac]
Niigaan Sinclair: My name is Niigaan Sinclair, and I am a professor at the University of Manitoba in the Department of Indigenous Studies, and I am also the curator of Indigenous History and Culture here at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
[Video shows Niigaan and Terry talking and walking through museum]
Niigaan: The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is a place of community. It’s a place that represents a very dynamic and vibrant community that’s been in operation for a very long period of time.
[Video pans over a welcome sign in various Indigenous languages]
[Video transitions back to Niigaan sitting on a chair in museum speaking to camera]
Niigaan: When visitors come, they really not just have to hear about these stories, but they have to see the stories and feel the stories and know what the stories are ultimately all about.
[Video transitions to various Indigenous exhibits in museum]
Niigaan: What this museum is ultimately about is about talking about the past, talking about what has happened; the good, the bad, the great, the ugly parts, but then also figure out a way for us to fly in the skies together; To be able to help one another, to learn about the histories and perspectives of this place, and to be able to trade in those stories in a way that we can live together into the future.
Text on screen: With support from PrairiesCan, Indigenous stories are being told at one of Manitoba’s major tourism attractions
[Video montage of various exhibits and artifacts at the museum, as well as visitors viewing planes]
[Video transitions back to Niigaan sitting on a chair in museum speaking to camera]
Niigaan: We invite everybody to come here to our beautiful new building to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada to come join and be a part of a beautiful vibrant community in action.
[Video shows clips of various exhibits at the museum, and transitions to Terry Slobodian viewing an Indigenous exhibit at the museum]
Terry: Whether you’re from Winnipeg, or somewhere else in Manitoba, or whether you’re from Germany or from some other country around the world; we will welcome you here and I guarantee you that when you walk in those doors, the first thought that you will have is that you’ll say “Wow!” and then when you leave, you will want to come back again.
[Video pans to Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada sign and front of building]
Text on screen: “With the support of: Prairies Economic Development Canada”, with Canada wordmark.
[Prairies Economic Development Canada federal signature shown on screen]
[Music ends]
