Métis Oral History Project 1984
The Métis Oral History Project (1984) was conducted as a summer employment project through the Provincial Archives of Manitoba. Its purpose was to create oral history materials documenting the history and culture of the Manitoba Métis people. The project was oriented toward one specific settlement – Saint-Laurent whose population is largely Métis and whose relative isolation and resource-based economy were thought to have fostered the preservation of Métis heritage. Selected individuals from all walks of life were interviewed in order to provide a representative profile of the community. The research and interviews were conducted by Nicole J.M. St-Onge, a graduate student in anthropology and history who had previously studied another Manitoba Métis community. A total of twenty-two interviews were recorded in Winnipeg and Saint-Laurent. Of these, eleven were with individuals of English or French, Roman Catholic, Métis ancestry. Five were with Oblate missionaries who had worked for many years among people of Indigenous and Métis descent. A sixth interview was with a young Oblate priest who was also a Métis of French heritage. Two interviews were with Franciscan nuns who had worked in a Métis settlement as school teachers. Four interviews were with older Francophones who had had extensive contact with a Métis group over a period of several years. Only three of the twenty-two narrators had no ties whatsoever with the settlement of Saint-Laurent. These were an Oblate Priest who had worked in other northern Manitoba Settlements and two English-speaking Métis from the San Clara and Crane River areas. The interviews are in the form of life histories. They provide data on ethnic and class divisions, family life, education, work, religious customs, entertainment, cooking, language and folklore. The interviews are in French except where otherwise indicated. Much of the digital collection is available to the general public however, due to the possible stated restrictions, some content may not be available. One item is restricted.Originals, 29 cassette audiotapes