Métis Oral History Project 1985

The Métis Oral History Project 1985 was conducted as a summer employment project through the Provincial Archives of Manitoba. It was a continuation of a similar project carried out in 1984 and identified as the Métis Oral History Project 1984. Its purpose was to create oral history materials documenting the history and culture of the Manitoba Métis people. The research and interviews were conducted by Nicole J.M. St-Onge.A total of eighteen individuals – fourteen women and four men – were interviewed. Of these, fourteen were of mixed ancestry from either English-speaking Anglican or French-speaking Roman Catholic backgrounds. Four were French-Canadian of Ukrainian ancestry with ties to the Métis Community. These individuals represented a variety of rural Manitoba communities including Saint-Rose-du-Lac, St. Peter’s, Selkirk, Berens River, Balsam Bay and Grand Marais. Many were connected with the fishing industry on Lake Winnipeg and/or with the economic activities of the Hudson’s Bay Company.The interviews are in the form of life histories. Narrators’ recollections span the period from the end of the nineteenth century to the present and provide information on family, economic and social life in rural Metis communities. The interviews are in French or English as indicated. They are arranged chronologically.Originals, 20 audio cassette tapes (11 hr., 50 min.)