Rosette Boucher (née Larammee), born on Drummond Island on December 12, 1815, is a unique and valuable Métis storyteller whose voice continues to resonate today. Boucher is notable as one of only two Métis women whose accounts are featured in A.C. Osborne’s The Migration of Voyageurs from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in 1828 .  Growing up in a Métis family deeply tied to fur trade travel and military life, Rosette was surrounded by stories and carried them with remarkab

Storytellers have long sustained Métis communities, celebrating the Métis way of life and safeguarding stories to be shared across generations. Non-Métis storytellers who have immersed themselves in community and captured the authentic Métis voices of their members have also contributed meaningfully to this legacy. A.C. Osborne and Christy Ann Simons are two such observers who, despite not being Métis, took great care to document the vibrant Métis lives, relationships, and ex

Lewis Solomon was a prominent figure throughout the Upper Great Lakes Métis community, known for his extensive travels as a Métis guide throughout the region. His numerous adventures ensured he had a remarkable collection of stories, a direct result of his life of constant movement and connection-making. Solomon offered insights into his lifetime of memorable experiences in A.C. Osborne’s, The Migration of Voyageurs from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in 1828 . Lewis’ nar

For generations, Métis across the Homeland, including the Georgian Bay Métis Community in the Upper Great Lakes, have relied on fishing to provide sustenance. Ice fishing was a common and important way to keep Métis families and communities fed in the winter months.    An article in the Ann Arbour Register from October 12, 1893, for example, highlights the distinctive and effective ice fishing methods used by Métis in the Upper Great Lakes: “I visited Georgian bay, a part of

Wilfred Vasseur was born July 12, 1893, to Charles Vasseur and Mary Jane Jeffrey in Penetanguishene. The Vasseurs were one of the Georgian Bay Métis Community's founding families who had received a land grant “across the bay” from the British naval base in Penetanguishene harbour after relocating from Drummond Island following the War of 1812. Wilfred's service during the First World War began on May 9, 1918, when he was conscripted during the conflict's final months. Unlike

Charles Henry Vasseur, born September 6, 1889, and Albert Paul Vasseur, born February 27, 1896, were two Métis brothers from Penetanguishene and descendants of one of the Georgian Bay Métis Community's founding Métis families. Their grandfather, Charles Vasseur, had received a land grant “across the bay” from the British naval establishment in Penetanguishene harbour after relocating from Drummond Island following the War of 1812.   On February 10, 1916, Charles and Albert ma