Artefact from Esplanade to be used in BBC Two program

By Medicine Hat News on August 14, 2024.

An Indigenous artefact currently housed at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre will be featured in an upcoming series on BBC Two.

The artifact, the Mike Mountain Horse Story Robe, will be featured in a four-part program led by British Historian David Olusoga, which takes a broad look at the British Empire.

One of these episodes focuses on the British Empire during the First World War, and features of non-Caucasian soldiers like Mike Mountain Horse and his wartime depictions.

“The Mike Mountain Horse Story Robe has become a popular item in our collection because of the unique materials used to tell the story of one soldiers’ experience during the war,” said Xanthe Isbister, director and curator of the Esplanade galleries and collections. “I think the piece serves as a great reminder that Indigenous Canadians were also on the front lines fighting for our freedom.”

The Mike Mountain Horse Story Robe uses pictogram-style drawings to depict 12 battles with the Germans, much like many story robes, which were traditionally made of buffalo hides using pigment to detail hunts, encounters and other important events.

“The Esplanade is pleased to have this important piece of history in our collection, and we look forward to hosting the BBC documentarians over two days on August 13 and 14,” said Isbister. “On August 13 a teepee will be erected on the lawn of the Esplanade and will serve as the location for a ceremonial blessing of the Mike Mountain Horse Story Robe on August 14, led by Elder Charlie Fox with three of Mike Mountain Horse’s descendants in attendance.”

The broadcast date of the series is currently unknown.

8
-7