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Emile Lavalle.(b. 1831)
Emile was born on February 8, 1931 at the Metis community of St.
Laurent, Manitoba.He was the son of Jrme Lavalle1 and Florence
Lafreniere. At age five he learned to
play a fiddle given to him by his father. Music is a way of life
for him. He was part of the
Laurentian Valley Boys Band and represented the Metis during a
performance in Ottawain 1992. The interested listener can hear his
fiddling on the CD, Drops of Brandy
(Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2001). In 2011, he was a
Manitoba Fiddle
Association "Wall of Fame" inductee. Emile played for twelve
years at Festival duVoyageur. Emiles first violin is currently on
exhibit at the National Museum of the
American Indian, Washington D.C.
Later he built a dance hall and to further his career, he
studied music for three years with
Pete (Emilien) Couture, an instructor who played with the
Winnipeg Symphony
Orchestra. He was honoured when he was asked to represent the
Mtis Nation at the
Parliament Buildings in Ottawa in 1992. He also played at
Government House, the
Legislative Buildings, Folklorama, Le Festival du Voyageur,
Louis Riel House, (LouisRiel Anniversary) and at the St. Boniface
Cathedral.
Emile has used his musical talents on the violin to promote fund
raising events and
presently plays in the Country Pride and Shindig bands and in
2000 recorded a CD
for "The Neil Gaudry Foundation". He was Manager of the sewing
factory from 1967 to1977 and Development Officer for the Western
Interlake Planning District Board from
1979 to 1986. He further
served as Councillor and
Deputy Reeve until1995. He has also served
on the Parish Counciland on many sub-committees of council.
He is a member of the
Knights of Columbusand was actively
involved with St.
Laurent's induction in theSmithsonian National
Museum of the
American Indian in
Washington, DC. Emilewas honoured in 2002
when he received the
Queen's Gold Medal on the occasion of her Majesty's Golden
Jubilee for his contributiontowards the community of St.
Laurent.
1 Interviews with Jerome are posted on the Virtual Museum of
Metis History and culture (metismuseum.ca)
As part of a large body of interviews conducted by Father Guy
Lavalle with the Metis residents of St.
Laurent.
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In 2001, St. Laurent was chosen to represent the Mtis Nation of
Canada in the
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in
Washington, DC. Emile wasone of the five co-curators to organize
the project. "Our Lives" which will features the
history and current lifestyle of the community. In August 2004,
he made a CD which is
displayed in Washington, DC among his 3 others. His first violin
is also displayed in theexhibits at the museum. Emile was presented
with the Prix Riel award for arts and
culture from the Socit franco-manitobaine, the Manitoba
francophone society, in March
2009. He resides in St. Laurent with his wife Marcelle.
Edited and Compiled by Lawrence BarkwellCoordinator of Metis
Heritage and History Research
Louis Riel Institute
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