Métis Marriages: Labatte & Berger

The June 3, 1845, marriage of Michel (Michael) Labatte and Archange Berger (Bergé) at St. Ann’s Church in Penetanguishene illustrates the important role of endogamy in sustaining generational connections for the Upper Great Lakes Métis. At a time when the distinct identity of the Métis was only a generation or two, marrying within the community was essential for sustaining Métis cultural life, particularly given the pressures of colonial policies and forced displacement. 

Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michel and Archange both had fathers who lived in the village on Drummond Island and shared long-standing connections to the same Métis community. Like many other Métis families, the Labattes and Bergers relocated from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in the late 1820s following the island’s surrender to the United States after the War of 1812. 

Michel and Archange's wedding witnesses were James Solomon and Marie Berger, also members of the Georgian Bay Métis Community. Witnessing life events strengthened the community, deepening obligations, responsibilities, and bonds across generations.

Their marriage also symbolized the Métis community’s re-established relationship with place. In 1833, as Penetanguishene was untouched by permanent settler populations, Michel Labatte joined other Métis and former Drummond Islander residents in building the area’s first Catholic church, St. Ann’s. Constructed through collective labour, the church became a spiritual and social anchor for the growing Métis community. 

Michel was also deeply involved in Métis rights advocacy, signing the 1840 Penetanguishene Petition. Not long after their marriage, Michel and Archange returned to Sault Ste. Marie, where by 1850 they lived on a River Lot and continued to assert Métis land rights, carrying forward traditions of kinship, resistance, and continuity rooted in community.

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• Labatte VMFL

• Labatte Vignette

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