Angelique Lepine (nee Cadotte) was a Métis woman born in the Upper Great Lakes in the early 1800s. As a young woman, she married Pierre Lepine, a French-Canadian. Soon after, the couple welcomed their first child, Therise, into the world. However, that world was one of upheaval for Angelique’s Métis community. In 1828, Angelique, her husband, and their baby daughter were among the many Métis families forced to relocate from their homes on Drummond Island after the British ced

Métis women played an essential role in provisioning the fur trade posts of the Abitibi Inland and western James Bay regions. Métis women from the Abitibi Inland Métis Community are documented hunting, trapping, and snaring a variety of birds and game, including geese, partridges, beaver, martins, and rabbits. Fishing—especially for whitefish—was common too. In addition to hunting, snaring, and fishing, Métis women actively participated in maple sugar production, as well as o

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

Métis across the Homeland are deeply committed to their communities and one another. In times of need, Métis have a proud history of coming together to support each other—even if it means enduring danger or hardship themselves. This deep sense of Métis service to one another is perhaps most vividly illustrated by the many daring winter rescues woven throughout Métis history. In her account by A.C. Osborne, for example, Rosette Boucher (nee Larammee) recounted the Métis commun

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