The Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University will host a lecture focused on the history and legacy of the Métis people in Montana. The event, titled “We Know Who We Are: The History and Legacy of the Métis People of Montana,” is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 11, at 5:30 p.m. in the Hager Auditorium.
Admission to the lecture is free for museum members and $5 for non-members. Online registration is required to attend. The lecture forms part of the Rosenberry-Donohue Lectures on the American West series.
The Métis people are recognized as a group formed from unions between Indigenous peoples and European settlers, with early settlements in areas such as Choteau, Big Timber, and along Montana’s Canadian border. The lecture will address topics including their role in the fur trade, experiences with displacement, and involvement in local resistance efforts.
MaggieJo Widdecombe will present the lecture. She is a graduate of Montana State University with a degree in earth sciences specializing in paleontology. Widdecombe has heritage from the Red River Métis, Little Shell Band of Chippewa, and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa communities. She currently serves as outreach and museum educator at MOR and contributed to developing its recent paleontology exhibit.
Following her presentation, attendees will have an opportunity to meet Widdecombe and enjoy light refreshments.
Further details about this event can be found at www.montana.edu/calendar/events/55907.
