For generations, Métis in the Upper Great Lakes have used their deep connection to and knowledge of the waters to earn a living for their families, creating prosperity through water-based professions like captaining, guiding, and commercial fishing. Boat building became another vital livelihood for many Métis families around Georgian Bay as government regulation, settler tourism, and broader economic changes caused traditional Métis economies to decline in the late 19th and e

The families which make up Georgian Bay Métis Community have deep and enduring connections amongst each other, as well as with other Métis families and communites in the Upper Great Lakes and throughout the Métis Homeland. Many of these bonds were rooted during their shared experience of relocation from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene, in the aftermath of the War of 1812. Lewis Solomon is one example of a Georgian Bay Métis Community member whose family kinship extends

The Labattes were among the Métis families who were relocated to Penetanguishene from Drummond Island following the British ceding the island to the United States after the War of 1812. Antoine Labatte, son of Métis War of 1812 veteran Louis George Labatte and his Métis wife Julia Frances Grouette, later recounted details of their family’s 1828 journey to Penetanguishene: “We left Drummond Island in August, in a bateau, towed by the schooner Alice… We came by the outer c

A.C. Osborne's "Migration of Voyageurs from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in 1828" chronicles a defining event in the history of the Upper Great Lakes Métis Community, capturing its stories, struggles, and resilience. Following the cession of Drummond Island by the British Crown to the United States after the War of 1812, the many Métis families who called the Island home were forced to relocate—with a large number going to Penetanguishene on the southwestern shore of

Like many Métis, the Métis of the Abitibi Inland and western James Bay regions began transitioning away from traditional fur trade occupations in the early 20th century. Many entered employment in new and rapidly growing regional industries such as the railroad and forestry. Despite these profound economic changes, hunting remained an integral part of life for the Abitibi Inland Métis Community. The continued practice and importance of the Abitibi Inland Métis Community’s tra

After the height of the fur trade, commercial fishing became a way of life for many Métis communities, including those in the Upper Great Lakes. Beginning in the 1830s and 1840s, records began referencing Métis or “Half-breed” fishermen along the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, particularly around Penetanguishene. The emergence of commercial fishing as a Métis way of life in the Upper Great Lakes is explored, among others, by Dr. Arthur Ray in An Economic History of the Robins