Understanding its potential historical significance and broader implications, the entire Métis Nation made the strategic decision to rally together in unanimous support of R. v. Powley, the Powley family and the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community during their ten-year legal ordeal. As explained by Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand in a September 24, 2003 written address to MMF citizens: “As I suggested earlier, the past week was closed by two historic decisio

Many members of the Abitibi Inland Métis Community formally petitioned for Métis scrip, similar to what had been issued to other Métis communities farther west. Thomas Vincent’s family, for example, was among those from Fort Albany who submitted a Métis scrip claim. Vincent initially applied for Métis scrip for himself and his children in November 1885. Lacking success in their initial attempts, Vincent “and others” of “Moose Factory, James Bay, Northwest Territories” contin

For almost two centuries, the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community utilized their own Métis governance, decision-making, and land tenure systems to manage their internal affairs. By the nineteenth century, this distinct Métis community—with its unique way of life—was recognizable and respected by other peoples in the region, namely the Anishinaabek. In 1830, for example, when the British began to exclude the Métis from receiving ‘Indian Presents’, Anishinaabek leader, Chief Shing