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 oral histories contain many stories of New Year’s celebrations across the Métis Homeland, Sault Ste. Marie is no exception! They tell of Métis going from house to house for cakes and pies, with the sounds of fireworks, gunshots, church bells, and fiddle music ringing in the air, all accompanied by dancing. Métis were so fond of this time of year that they often shared stories with non-Métis authors interested in their community’s history. In the 1920s, for example, Jam

The Upper Great Lakes are known for their treacherous waters, where unpredictable weather and hidden shoals have led to untold numbers of shipwrecks over the centuries. Many—including the wrecks of the Hackett at Horse Island and the Labatte family at Thunder Beach near Penetanguishene—have been preserved by Métis communities through stories and passed down through the generations. With such events looming large in Métis communities’ memories, it should come as little sur

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

Many Indigenous people and nations in the Upper Great Lakes allied with and fought alongside the British Army during the War of 1812. Louis George Labatte of the Upper Great Lakes Métis Community was one such veteran. Labatte participated in the capture of Mackinaw and other pivotal events. Through his experiences, Louis George Labatte had many stories to pass along to his children about his time during the war. His son, Antoine Labatte, later recounted one of his father’s

For generations, Métis have been expert all-season travellers of the lands and waters of their Homelands. As Christy Ann Simons recounted in her memoirs of growing up on St. Joseph Island, near Sault Ste. Marie, during the late 1800s, the local Métis community’s craftsmanship and place-based knowledge enabled them to travel freely all year long: “The sailboat was their method of traveling in summer, dog team and snowshoes in winter (homemade sleds and shoes).” For many, incl