The 1865 Mattawa Petition

On September 3, 1865 a group of Métis living in Mattawa petitioned alongside their Roman Catholic First Nations neighbours for additional religious services in their community. 

Like many Métis people across the Métis Homeland, much of the Mattawa Historic Métis Community were devout Roman Catholics. 

Likely prepared with the assistance of visiting missionaries, the 1865 Mattawa petition was submitted collectively by “des sauvages de Mattawa”—a French term, generally translated as “Indian”. In addition to numerous Anishinaabemowin signatories, many of the forty-three petitioners also belonged to known Mattawa-area Métis families, including the Langevin, McDonnell, and Dorion (Lorion) families. 

The 1865 Mattawa petition also reflects a larger tradition of Métis diplomacy and collaborative political advocacy, through which numerous Métis communities across the Homeland have jointly acted alongside their non-Métis neighbours when shared interests emerged—sometimes through joint petitioning.

See Our Sources

• “Transcript and rough translation of a letter from the people of Mattawa, September 3, 1865,” Roman Catholic Diocese of Pembroke Archives, Missionary Correspondence

• Mattawa/Ottawa River Métis Community Submission to the MNC Expert Panel

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