The Métis and Anishinaabe communities of Sault Ste. Marie have been long-time allies. Perhaps the most notable example of allyship between the two political groups occurred both during and after the Mica Bay Incident—one of the most important moments in the history of Crown-Indigenous relations in the Upper Great Lakes. Following their collective action at Mica Bay alongside their Métis allies, the Anishinaabek Chiefs Shingwaukonse-ibun and Nebainagoching-ibun advocated f

The Abitibi Inland Métis Community’s distinctive identity and enduring presence has been recognized in numerous official records in both historical and contemporary times. This included recognition within the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples—commonly referred to as RCAP—that was established in 1991 to examine Canada’s ongoing relationships with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. The RCAP final report, delivered in 1996, acknowledged numerous documented histori

In 1845, the government opened lands north of Lake Huron for settlement and began negotiating treaties in the region. These newly opened lands included many Métis families’ River Lots along the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie. In 1850, the Métis were explicitly excluded from the Robinson treaties. However, during the treaty negotiations, Anishinaabe leaders had advocated for the recognition of Métis rights to their River Lots. This advocacy prompted Treaty Commissione

A common Métis way of life developed across west central North America, from the Upper Great Lakes westward, that endured over the span of centuries and connected Métis communities across vast distances through kinship, economic, and cultural ties. One example is the many petitions written by Métis communities across the Homeland, sent as proud assertions of their Métis identity and rights, and as collective responses to their pressing political issues. Not only is the ac

Following the historic 2003 Powley decision, which centred on the Sault Ste. Marie Métis community’s harvestings rights, Métis communities across the Métis Homeland utilized the ruling to advance additional cases that affirmed their own Métis harvesting rights—both in the courts and through negotiations—leading to further Métis rights victories that have together benefitted all Métis people. These included court cases like R. v. Goodon (Manitoba), R. v. Laviolette (Saskatch

Throughout history, Métis communities’ distinctive political identities have often emerged as a response to external threats to their collective Métis rights and way of life. Now-famous Métis political actions include the Battle of Seven Oaks and North-West Resistance. Each event served to solidify a distinctive Métis identity and collective consciousness in present-day Manitoba and Saskatchewan, respectively. In present-day Ontario, the 1905 negotiations for Treaty 9 in