Following in their father Jean Baptiste Nolin’s footsteps, Métis brothers Louis, Augustin, and Joseph Nolin carried their knowledge of languages and diplomacy into new generations of leadership and service. Having grown up in the culturally diverse Upper Great Lakes fur trade and later serving during the War of 1812, their combined experiences navigating relationships between communities and speaking multiple languages made the Nolin brothers valuable figures in moments where

Michel Toussaint Sayer, born around 1821 in Red River, was raised in a family tradition of language skills and diplomacy, such as that of his uncle John Charles Sayer, a well known Métis freeman and interpreter. Following a similar path, Michel Toussaint pursued a career as a Hudson’s Bay Company interpreter, taking on important responsibilities for communication and connection in his local community. As his career progressed, Michel Toussaint’s personal and professional resp

The spring maple sugar harvest has been an important seasonal Métis community tradition for generations. For many, the annual maple sugar harvest has involved the entire family.  In a late March 1853 journal entry, for example, Mattawa postmaster Colin Rankin noted of the Métis Langevin family that it was “Mme. Langevin and family” who “started out to their sugary”. This built upon earlier entries, including one from early January 1849 in which the Langevin family was noted a

The practice of Métis storytelling is not merely a connection to the past, but a vibrant, ongoing tradition kept alive by the voices and memories of today's community members. Among these storytellers, Dolores Pinder (née Bussineau) stands out for her dedication to preserving the history of the Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community.  As an advisor, knowledge holder, and lifelong community advocate, Dolores shared stories rooted in her family’s original Métis River Lot hom

Around the shores of the Upper Great Lakes, Métis women were far more than mothers and wives. They played vital roles in supporting their families, communities, and local economies. Through their labour and skills, Métis women helped sustain the Métis way of life, contributing to harvesting, preparing and preserving food, crafting goods, and serving as translators between Indigenous and settler communities. Their work strengthened both household stability and broader communit

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