The Roussain family, from the historic Métis community at Sault Ste. Marie, have been prominent advocates and organizers throughout Métis history, from the Upper Great Lakes to the Red River.
In 1816, for example, Eustace Roussain rallied Métis in the Upper Great Lakes to support Cuthbert Grant’s efforts against Lord Selkirk’s troops in the Red River, culminating in the Battle of Seven Oaks.
Eustace was later charged for his role in the conflict.
Louise Roussain, another Sault Ste. Marie “halfbreed”, married fur trader John Siveright, who was also present at the 1816 Battle of Seven Oaks and later charged in connection to the death of Governor Robert Semple during the action.
Louise and John’s daughter, Josephte, was raised and educated by the Nolin family in the Red River. The Nolins, like the Roussains, were also from the Upper Great Lakes and maintained connections between the Sault Ste. Marie and Red River Métis communities for generations.
When Josephte took Métis scrip at the Red River, in 1876, she grounded her Métis identity and scrip claim in her Métis mother, who was from the Upper Great Lakes—not her husband’s ties to the Red River.
Josephte’s son, Elzéar Goulet, would become a prominent supporter of Louis Riel’s provisional government and was murdered by Canadian troops following the Red River Resistance, as part of Canada’s Reign of Terror.
The Roussains continue to maintain deep ties throughout the Métis Homeland to this day.