“Wolves won’t attack you”

Métis across the Homeland played a significant role in the fur trade, including by overwintering at remote trading posts. With their deep knowledge of the land, waters, seasons, and animals, Métis hunters, trappers, and fishers helped sustain fellow overwinterers by providing food and guidance in challenging environments.

Settlers often recognized this expertise and sought out Métis harvesters as authorities on the lands and waters around them. In a 1934 Sault Star article discussing wolf behaviour near Moosonee, longtime Moose Factory Métis harvester William McLeod was asked whether he had ever heard of wolves attacking humans. His answer reflected the confidence and experience of someone who had spent a lifetime living from the land: 

“wolves… won’t attack you, nor will any other animal in the bush, just as long as you leave them alone. They go about their business and expect you to go about yours.”

McLeod’s words speak to a Métis understanding of respectful coexistence with the animals, lands, and waters that sustained community life. Nearly thirty years earlier, McLeod had signed the 1905 Moose Factory Métis Petition, joining other Métis at Moose Factory in affirming their rights and protecting their future on the land.

See Our Sources

• “Wolves Trail Humans but Won’t Attack, Trappers of Moosonee District Say”

• 1905 Moose Factory Métis Petition

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