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 communities across the Homeland have always shared a love of food. Stews and soups were and continue to be a warm, hearty meal during winter, using ingredients found within each Métis community’s place in the Homeland. One stew shared across the Homeland is Rubaboo. Rubaboo is a hearty stew or soup made from meat, vegetables, and water. The earliest record of this cultural dish dates back to the 1800s. Traditionally, Rubaboo was made of peas or corn with bear or pork

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

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

The Labattes were among the Métis families who were relocated to Penetanguishene from Drummond Island following the British ceding the island to the United States after the War of 1812. Antoine Labatte, son of Métis War of 1812 veteran Louis George Labatte and his Métis wife Julia Frances Grouette, later recounted details of their family’s 1828 journey to Penetanguishene: “We left Drummond Island in August, in a bateau, towed by the schooner Alice… We came by the outer c