Honestly, we stopped in Saskatoon, SK because the name sounded so cool. It had a nice ring to it, and frankly we enjoyed repeating it. We imagined the name was a First People’s word. We were only partially right! The word is derived from the Cree, Mis-Sask-quah-toomina, their native word for the fruit berry which grows so abundantly in this part of Saskatchewan and western Canada. Our references stated saskatoons are also abundant in the northwest US , but neither of us had ever heard a thing about this berry. We also thought the city was much farther north in Saskatchewan, but once we arrived, we were shocked to learn that despite the city being over 150 miles north of the US border (as the crow flies), it’s another 610 miles to the province’s northern boundary with Northwest Territories. Yet another Canadian geography lesson for us!
Saskatoon is the largest city in Saskatchewan with population 273,010 (2017), and the 19th largest in the country. Because of its size, we stayed in Saskatoon 16 West RV Park on the far north side of town. As is our habit, we spent our first full day finding a coffee shop, which also served some breakfast, followed by exploring the city to determine its vibe. We chose Home Quarter Coffeehouse & Bakery in a west central part of downtown called Pleasant Hill. We sat alone on a small mezzanine enjoying the coffee and food and playing our mandatory online game of FARKLE. Since this place was a bakery, MFI suggested we deserved one of their “Signature Saskatoon Tarts.” After all, she justified, this would give us as chance to find out what saskatoons look like and and how they taste. We had done a wee bit of research online, but in hindsight, reading that they compared to blueberries was completely misleading.
I bought one tart for sharing. Unfortunately, the thickness of the compôte filling made it impossible to see the berries, so without manners, I crudely took a mouthful of filling, sucked away the sugary syrup, and spit the berries onto our plate for examination. With respect to shape, they do look like a small version of a blueberry, but they were redish purple in color and smaller. One reference described them as tasting nutty, which we thought was accurate, and only slightly sweet. Truthfully, they tasted like saskatoons and couldn’t/shouldn’t really be compared to other berries. They were unique unto themselves.
After breakfast and coffee, we drove east across the Saskatchewan River and found an older, upscale, and treelined neighborhood on a bluff overlooking downtown. This area was known as Nutana and was originally settled by members of the temperance movement in 1883. Took these pictures below before driving through the beautiful and large University of Saskatchewan campus, as well as, a number of residential and retail areas.
Wherever camped, I google “The Top 15 Attractions in…” just to ensure we don’t miss something special. What came up high on the Saskatoon list, and was of interest to us, were the Ramai Modern (Art Museum) and the Wanuskewin Heritage Museum. Wanuskewin is a cultural complex honoring the history and artwork of First Nations people, and we were really interested in a chance to see their buffalo herd by bus tour.
We went to the Remai Modern on our second full day with high expectations. The lobby contained a very nice display of stone carvings by First Nation peoples. I first saw and enjoyed this type of art when I was stationed in Thule, Greenland. The lighting fixtures hanging in the lobby were also part of the art exhibit. We’ve always considered good design as art too. These fixtures created by a South Korean artist, Haegue Yang, were titled Four Times Sol LeWitt Upside Down, Version Point to Point (2016/2017) and were described as “Aluminum venetian blinds, powder-coated aluminum hanging structure, steel wire ropes, LED tubes, cable.” Yikes re: the title, but we sure liked the result.
On the second floor, we were promptly greeted by a young woman who asked if we would like a deeper explanation of some piece we had just ogled. I said yes, and she launched into a lengthy rehearsed presentation. I was still confused by what she said, so seeing this she asked if I’d like her to repeat it. MFI wisely and quickly answered “no.” Her robot-like performance left us uncomfortable. We then entered an exhibit room filled with paintings, but as we moved along the wall to take them in, more young people positioned in the center of the room began making strange and irreglar wailing sounds. MFI grabbed me when we’d seen about half the paintings and whispered she had to get out of this contrived “sound art.” Now we were both uncomfortable and a bit put off.
The main exhibit was by the significantly successful and award-winning artist, Adrian Stimson. His exhibit was titled, Maanipokaa’iini (Blackfoot word for “newborn bison”). I have a keen interest in the plight of Canada’s Grand Prairie buffalo. As was done across our Great Plains, the estimated 5 to 6 million Canadian buffalo were killed to near extinction by 1879. Stimson based the exhibit name on a calf born to a herd brought to Wanuskewin in 2019, the first newborn on those ancestral lands in 150 years.
Descriptions of the exhibit’s meaning were full of superlatives, unfamiliar words, and strange concepts, which in the end made a clear understanding difficult. But I’ll give it a pedestrian shot. Stimson is described as a two-spirit Blackfoot person, as well as, a survivor of the residential day school system. Two-spirit means the individual has both a masculine and feminine spirit, both of which can be used by indigenous people to describe their sexual, gender, and/or spiritual identity. The influence of both spirits were clearly visible in the exhibit. The Canadian government used the residential day school system as a way to assimilate indigenous children. The system was often abusive and purportedly led to the death of 3,000 to 6,000 children before closure in 1980. As a result, I saw anger in the exhibit over the negative impact of what can only be called indigenous colonization. Finally, buffalo were life-sustaining for many indigenous peoples, and therefore, their loss was physically and spiritually devastating. What happened to the buffalo and the First Nation peoples who depended on them was also depicted throughout the exhibit.
We saw a near 20-year collection of Adrian Stimson’s work done in painting, photography, video, and installation media. He often was photographed while dressed in a persona he called “Buffalo Boy,” and he used the installation piece seen in this video as an introduction to the exhibit.
We saw a number of pieces that were thought-provoking and enjoyable.
I came to a bench positioned in front of a small TV screen with a set of headphones hanging within reach. As the video began, it was old black and white footage from a train movie, there were buffalo, a violent train wreck occurred, and suddenly “Buffalo Boy” appeared. I understood the train represented the Canadian Pacific Railway and the wreck was related to the indigenous impacts of buffalo being slaughtered. But what “Buffalo Boy” subsequently began doing was unadulterated pornography. I hung up the headset, found MFI, and we left the Stimson exhibit, and ultimately the building after a brief browse of the gift shop. The entire experience was just too weird for us.
Once outside, I took some pictures of the Remai and the immediate downtown area. We also strolled along the riverside park, which offerred a view of three of the six bridges that connect the east and west sides of town. We also found the immediate river front filled with rock riprap. Somewhere along the cities history, it became a thing to decorate the rocks by painting them with your name or a personal message or design or quote. We weren’t carrying any paint, so we didn’t leave our mark!
The temperature had dropped below our comfort level, and we decided against trying to squeeze in what promised to be a chilly visit to the Wanuskewin. However, a rural restaurant called The Berry Barn was listed as a Top 15 attraction, so we made a trip south of town to visit and dine the next day. Despite the cool and mostly cloudy day, the restaurant, indoor gift shop, and outdoor gift and flower shop were all quite busy. There was a fun-looking playground with life-sized wooden vehicles and a race track for peddle cars. The meal was unremarkable, but because the grounds were gorgeous, we felt the overall experience made the visit worthwhile.
Before leaving town, we went on a mission to purchase some fresh saskatoon berries, but we soon learned from grocers they were out of season. We did find a novelty shop, which among other treats, specialized in all things that could be saskatoon flavored, including coffee. Luckily, we were able to contain our urges and only walked out with a jar of saskatoon spread and the pictured coloring book. I’m not so much into coloring as I am into enjoying the self-deprecating humor included throughout this book. Photo example below.
So this is our jab at Saskatoon! We’re glad we included it in our journey, but we don’t see any reason to return anytime soon…or ever for that matter.
