Angelique Lepine (nee Cadotte) was a Métis woman born in the Upper Great Lakes in the early 1800s. As a young woman, she married Pierre Lepine, a French-Canadian. Soon after, the couple welcomed their first child, Therise, into the world. However, that world was one of upheaval for Angelique’s Métis community. In 1828, Angelique, her husband, and their baby daughter were among the many Métis families forced to relocate from their homes on Drummond Island after the British ced

Métis across the Homeland have consistently demonstrated pride through significant accomplishments and simple everyday actions. Many Métis individuals have shared stories that reflect these points of pride in contributions to their Métis family and community life. Elizabeth Longlade (née Dusome) was one such Métis matriarch from the Georgian Bay Métis Community, centred at Penetanguishene, in the Upper Great Lakes, who shared her life’s story and points of quiet personal prid

Louis George Labatte is often remembered for his advocacy and resilience: serving at the capture of Mackinaw during the War of 1812; enduring the relocation from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene after the British surrender of the island; signing the 1840 Penetanguishene Halfbreed Petition; and building the historic Labatte House at Thunder Beach, which still stands today as a testament to Upper Great Lakes Métis history in Georgian Bay. Yet his legacy extends beyond these m

On October 20, 1884, Georgian Bay Métis Community members Charles Beausoleil and Catherine Brissette were united in marriage at St. Anne’s Church in Penetanguishene. With fellow Métis community members, Joseph Giroux and Deline Boucher standing as witnesses, Charles and Catherine’s marriage reflects the deeply rooted interconnectedness and mutual support that has defined the Georgian Bay Métis Community for generations. Catherine Brissette was born around 1863 in Tiny, the da

Olive Beausoleil and Isidore “McKoy” Dusome were married on May 23, 1875 in Penetanguishene, deepening the Georgian Bay Métis Community’s already well established family and kinship networks. Olive Beausoleil was born in Penetanguishene around 1854, the daughter of 1840 Penetanguishene Halfbreed Petition signatory, Alexis Beausoleil, and Olive Giroux. Raised on the shores of Georgian Bay, Olive grew up in her Métis community. Isidore Dusome was born in Penetanguishene around

On June 6, 1885, Georgian Bay Métis Community Members Francis Longlade and Julie Lamoureux were married in Tiny, Ontario, near Penetanguishene.  Born in Tiny in 1851, Francis Longlade was one of at least eleven children of Louis Longlade. Louis Longlade was born on Drummond Island and, following the War of 1812, relocated to Penetanguishene in the 1820s with a significant portion of the Métis community.  Julie Lamoureux, the daughter of Julienne Adam dit Laramee, who was also