A Métis “ball” at Michipicoten
- Ontario Métis Facts
- Oct 8
- 1 min read
From kitchen parties, to soirees, and holiday dances, Métis across the Homeland are known for their love of having a good time in the company of friends and family.
Once such “ball” was recorded at the Hudson Bay Company’s Michipicoten Post on October 9, 1849 by Indian Officer Thomas G. Anderson, who was travelling in the region in preparation for the forthcoming treaties with the Anishinaabe. In his diary, Anderson described the lively festivities that erupted between the Michipicoten Post’s Métis employees and Métis members of his own travelling party:
“Our men gave a ball to their half breed brethren and enjoyed themselves first rate”
While Anderson later affectionately attributed the Michipicoten Post’s Métis Chief Factor John Swanston’s warm hospitality and “friendly grasp” for his group’s late departure the following morning, there is little doubt that the previous evening’s “first rate” exertions during the Métis “ball” were also a contributing factor.
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