Métis Resistance Through Story and Song

Preserving and celebrating their way of life strengthened Métis communities throughout the Upper Great Lakes, even as colonial pressures sought to displace and erase them. Métis resistance was not always confrontational. It lived in daily practices, kinship networks, and stories carefully carried across generations. Métis culture, anchored in memory, tradition, and an unwavering connection to home, proved impossible to seize, even as the land itself was taken.

In Sault Ste. Marie, some Métis families continued this persistence after being forced from their Métis River Lots and then from Agawa Bay in 1968. Though physically displaced, their ties to Agawa remained strong. More than sixty years later, those connections were still spoken of as living memories rather than distant history.

Métis Elder Dolores Pinder (née Bussineau) reflected on how her family held onto Agawa through constant remembrance, sharing: “There wasn’t a day went by that they didn’t talk about up there, my mom especially…. Dad did like town life, eh? But he did miss up there, too. He wanted both.”

Today, Métis artists continue this tradition of resistance through storytelling. Songs like “One of These Days,” by Métis singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaume, bring overlooked chapters of Métis history, such as the burning of homes at Agawa Bay, to wider audiences.

For Métis families, building a life was itself an act of peaceful resistance. The values rooted in land, family, and responsibility endured, showing that Métis resistance was not only about survival, but about continuity, identity, and a lasting sense of belonging that could not be erased.

See Our Sources

• Excerpt of an Oral History Interview with Dolores Pinder

• Boissonneau Family Vignette

• Dolores Pinder Photo Collection, Sault Ste. Marie Métis Heritage Centre

• Special Statement on the passing of Métis Elder Dolores Pinder

Mini Word Search

Have fun with the facts by completing today's mini word search.