The Métis and Anishinaabe communities of Sault Ste. Marie have been long-time allies.
Perhaps the most notable example of allyship between the two political groups occurred both during and after the Mica Bay Incident—one of the most important moments in the history of Crown-Indigenous relations in the Upper Great Lakes.
Following their collective action at Mica Bay alongside their Métis allies, the Anishinaabek Chiefs Shingwaukonse-ibun and Nebainagoching-ibun advocated for Métis inclusion in the Robinson Treaties. This included requesting a set aside of 100-acres of land to each Métis head of a family.
While the Crown’s Treaty Commissioner, William Benjamin Robinson, claimed that he did not have a mandate to deal with the Métis at that time, he recognized that the Métis were in “free and full possession” of their River Lot lands along the St. Mary’s River and promised to return to settle their distinct claims.
Shortly thereafter, the Métis of Sault Ste. Marie wrote a petition—known today as the 1850 Sault Ste. Marie Métis Petition—asking that Robinson’s solemn promise be upheld and that their lands be protected.
The Métis petition reinforces they were “born upon the soil” and had “inherited their possessions from their mothers” or “purchased from Half-Breeds or Indians”.
Chiefs Shingwaukonse-ibun and Nebainagoching-ibun also wrote a supporting petition. In reference to the Métis River Lots, the Chiefs state the Métis had lived there for:
“upwards of forty years…having an inheritance in the country equal to our own, and bound to it by as strong and heartfelt ties as we ourselves, we being apprehensive that the government after having purchased this land of which these people are also equally the rightful and just owners.”
The Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community and their Anishinaabek allies continue to wait for Canada to return and fulfill its promises.
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