After the imposition of the international border following the War of 1812, the Métis community living on Drummond Island, just east of Sault Ste. Marie, was relocated to Penetanguishene.
While the Métis community rebuilt their lives together in their new home, preserving and celebrating their Métis traditions, they faced anti-Métis prejudice from their new neighbours, both at the nearby naval base and from the growing settler population that began arriving in the area in the 1840s. This anti-Métis prejudice often centered on language and other cultural differences.
As Métis community member, Michael Labatte later recalled:
“Nothing but French and Indian was spoken at Drummond Island. I learned English at Penetanguishene, where I first heard it spoken.”
At the time of the Métis relocation, Penetanguishene was the site of a British naval base, with a primarily anglophone population. While some accepted their new Métis neighbours, others didn’t hide their prejudices. One anglophone, for example, wrote about the Métis newcomers in A Letter From Penetanguishene in 1855:
“The half breeds—that is half french and half indian… Very seldom I hear the English language except two men on my own staff. Even the English speak french in common. I never was in such a place in my life, and if I live to get to Barrie again, hope I never shall be in such a place again.”
Despite the prejudices and other hardships they faced after their relocation, the Métis community at Penetanguishene remained resilient, continuing their distinct customs and way of life to this day.
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