Many members of the Upper Great Lakes Métis Community utilized their knowledge of the lands, waters, and local peoples to maintain meaningful employment as guides and interpreters. Lewis Solomon, a member of the Métis community at Penetanguishene, was one of those guides. Lewis was born on Drummond Island in 1821 and later moved to Penetanguishene during the community’s relocation in 1829. As a young adult, Lewis pursued “a tolerably fair education” that afforded him a “c

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

Louis Miron embodied the resilience and dedication of Métis mail carriers in the Upper Great Lakes. Despite snow-covered landscapes and treacherous conditions, Louis Miron and other Métis mail carriers undertook the daunting but essential task of conveying ideas and advocacy between Métis communities like Sault Ste. Marie and others throughout the Métis Homeland. Like other Métis mail carriers, Miron would recount his adventures later in life. One harrowing journey stan

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

Countless stories of selflessness and personal sacrifice in the service of others have been passed down for generations within Upper Great Lakes Métis communities. Many of these Métis stories speak of harrowing rescues in the face of great personal risk. Métis mail carrier Louis Miron shared many such stories later in life, including one of the successful rescue of his uncle who had fallen through the ice: “When my uncle he come down again he go clean tho’ [the ice]… We haf d

Like other Indigenous Peoples, Métis in the Upper Great Lakes possessed an intimate knowledge of the lands and waters that enabled them to maintain their distinct Métis communities, culture, and way of life. This knowledge is perhaps best exemplified by Métis mail carriers whose routes traversed the rugged landscapes between Métis communities before the introduction of roads and railways—often in grueling conditions. Louis Miron was one such Métis mail carrier who traced