ONTARIO MÉTIS FACTS

While harvesting for food and furs occurred throughout the year around Northern Lake Superior, it took expert knowledge of the waters and lands to harvest throughout the notoriously harsh winters—knowledge that Métis, born and raised in the region, were well-equipped with. For instance, the 1858 Michipicoten post journal identifies six out of the post’s nine post harvesters as Métis. Like many fur trade posts, Michipicoten relied heavily on skilled Métis harvesters to conduc

During the War of 1812, many Indigenous peoples and nations in the Upper Great Lakes formed alliances with and fought alongside the British to defend against American expansion into their homelands. This history of military service is reflected in the creation of the Mackinaw jacket by Métis women and in stories passed down about a legendary capture of two American schooners. Louis George Labatte, a Métis born and raised in the world of the Upper Great Lakes fur trade, is rec

Jimmy Swain served as a Métis head guide during the 1905 Treaty 9 expedition, drawing on deep knowledge of northern Ontario and western James Bay’s lands and waters. Born in northwestern Ontario, he later lived, worked, and married in the regions the treaty commissioners travelled through, making his experience central to the success of the journey. Swain brought his fiddle along, using it to connect with fellow travelers by playing “far on in the night.” Around the camp, Swa