Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S AWARD FOR HISTORICAL PRESERVATION AND PROMOTION
Government House
Thursday, May 18, 2023
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Fellow Manitobans, welcome to this celebration of history and the people who keep it alive.
It is my privilege to acknowledge that we are gathered here on Treaty One land and in the heartland of the Red River Metis. I acknowledge that the province we love and that I represent as Lieutenant Governor is the present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuit and Red River Metis peoples.
We acknowledge northern Manitoba includes lands that were, and are, the ancestral lands of the Inuit.
Together, we strive to advance understanding, healing and reconciliation and work as partners for a better future.
In our efforts to build that society of understanding and partnership, nothing is more essential than preserving and promoting a rich awareness of our history.
A phrase introduced into everyday use by action movies tells why the work you do is so important.
You’ve probably heard variations on this yourself. A villain is eliminated and the good guy says “He’s history.” Or perhaps a villain makes a deadly threat: “You’re history.” The implication of course is that history is dead and gone.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
History is the living record of our attempts to understand the people and events of the past. It grows and changes like any living entity because there’s always something new to discover. There is always some new perspective.
Many of us grew up at a time when history focused almost exclusively on war and diplomacy, government and politics and focused almost entirely on a small number of male leaders. Later generations of historians brought new perspectives: social, cultural, technological. They invited new voices into the discussion of the ages.
Today, when Manitobans think of their history, they think of a tapestry of many stories. They think of Indigenous people, Icelandic, Mennonite and settler communities. They celebrate workers in the community who built the physical and social infrastructure of the society we live in today. They think of the long struggles for human rights for all peoples.
And that’s because of the dedication of people like today’s recipients of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation and Promotion.
Recipients of this award have dedicated themselves to finding and preserving artifacts and documents, building and sustaining museums, bringing stories from the past to life in the classroom, in various media and in live performances.
Thanks to people like today’s recipients, the phrase “you’re history” should mean “you’re multi-faceted, evolving and fascinating.”
Congratulations on this well-deserved award and thank you for making history in Manitoba.
Thank you, Merci, Meegwich.