The Roussain family, from the historic Métis community at Sault Ste. Marie, have been prominent advocates and organizers throughout Métis history, from the Upper Great Lakes to the Red River. In 1816, for example, Eustace Roussain rallied Métis in the Upper Great Lakes to support Cuthbert Grant’s efforts against Lord Selkirk’s troops in the Red River, culminating in the Battle of Seven Oaks. Eustace was later charged for his role in the conflict. Louise Roussain, another Saul

Charlotte Turner was born in Moose Factory, in the Hudson’s Bay Company’s (HBC) Rupert’s Land territory, on or about July 11, 1828. Charlotte’s father, Joseph Turner Sr., was a lifelong HBC employee, who worked for the Company for nearly 70 years. Throughout that time, he and his Métis wife, Emma, had seven children born in Moose Factory. On June 21, 1841, Charlotte Turner married James Harper, another long serving HBC employee, “a la façon du pays” (in the custom of the coun

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

The Atkinson-Moore family, originally from Moose Factory, has grown and maintained deep connections throughout the Métis Homeland for generations. After moving from Moose Factory to Red River in 1834, for example, several members of the Moore family—including Métis siblings Sarah Mary, Anne, and Philip, their mother Emma, and their Métis aunt Elizabeth Moore—were all baptized on the same day. While some members of the Moore family, including the recently baptized siblings and

While Elizabeth, Philip, Charlotte, and Joseph Turner Jr. moved west to establish their lives and careers in various Métis communities across the Homeland, the youngest siblings, Jane and Harriet Turner, stayed in their family’s original home at Moose Factory. Like their mother Emma before them, Jane and Harriet raised the next generation of their family in Moose Factory. Although they remained in Moose Factory, the Turner sisters maintained strong ties with their siblings an