As far as Darian Kovacs knows, there has never been a Lego minifigure to honour the memory of M茅tis leader Louis Riel.
"Never," said Kovacs, a Fort Langley M茅tis businessman.
"The only kind of Indigenous representation in Lego [till now] was like cowboys and Indians, characters that had big feather caps and leather outfits," Kovacs explained.
Now, there is.
Kovacs happens to know accomplished Lego builder Andrew Delbaere, a Vancouver Lego Club member, who created a minifigure kit of Riel and another M茅tis historical figure, matriarch Amelia Douglas, wife of James Douglas, the first governor of B.C.
Unveiled at historic Fort Langley during Louis Riel Day celebrations on Nov. 23, about 90 of the "make and take" kits were given out, with instructions on how to build the small plastic articulated figurines, and explaining who Douglas and Riel were.
"People loved it," Kovacs reported. "A lot of adults loved them, kids loved them. And a lot of people who are M茅tis know who Louis Riel is, but it was nice to bring awareness to who Amelia Douglas was and her role in the province of B.C., especially here for Langley."
Kovacs hopes to produce more B.C.-specific Indigenous minifigures for distribution in the future.
"We want to add some more B.C. matriarchs [and] other famous B.C. M茅tis people," Kovacs told the Langley Advance Times, explaining the goal is to give M茅tis people in B.C. a chance in "small ways, to be seen and heard and have their stories shared."
At the same time the minifigures were unveiled, the historic fort also presented a mural made of Lego "dots" created by another Lego builder, Robin Sather, based on a traditional M茅tis beadwork creation by artist Lisa Shepherd, from the Golden Ears M茅tis Society, who gave a traditional dance presentation at the Fort for Louis Riel Day.
"This is who I am," Shepherd commented.
"It doesn't matter how many generations go by, I'm just as M茅tis today as my ancestors were 150 years ago. And the reason for that is because we've not left, this is where we're from."
Louis Riel Day was marked at the Historic Fort Langley Site on Saturday with a celebration of M茅tis culture
鈥� Langley Advance Times (@LangleyTimes)
Louis Riel Day at Fort Langley National Historic Site was marked on Saturday, Nov. 23, with music, dancing, and Indigenous cuisine.
Artists Shepherd and Pat Calihou, as well as elder Ken Pruden and knowledge keepers Lorelei Lyons and Ken Robillard were there to celebrate the memory of Riel, described as "a visionary leader of the M茅tis people who played a crucial role in the establishment of Manitoba" in an online announcement of the event.
Riel, who led the Red River Resistance against the Canadian government, was hanged for treason on Nov. 16, 1885, but is now widely celebrated for his leadership.
In 1992, the federal government approved a resolution to recognize "the unique and historic role of Louis Riel as a founder of Manitoba and his contribution in the development of Confederation".
In February of 2024, Riel was formally recognized as Manitoba's first premier by the provincial government.
