Throughout history, Métis have been known by many different names across the Homeland, many attributed to specific Métis communities or regions. Wissakodéwin, an anishinaabemowin word meaning “half-burnt wood,” is one such name, often connected to Métis communities in the Upper Great Lakes region of the Métis Homeland.
One variation of the word, wissakodéwin, spelled phonetically as “We sau co da we nin,” comes from an Anishinaabe song recorded in the summer of 1833 near Fond du Lac, on Lake Superior. The song was transcribed as follows:
“We sau co da we nin; - a / Yah au eyhe ce au wha yah. / Waus sah, ke douge e bau, - a / Ya – / Ka kate, ke sau ge in; a / Yah / Um ba, o giene de dau. A”
The English translation of this song was transcribed as meaning:
“Half breed, you come from far; Yes; I love you; Come let us kiss!”
In addition to demonstrating the distinctions that the Anishinaabe recognized between themselves and their Métis neighbours, songs like the one from Fond du Lac speak to the deep respect and allyship that the two peoples historically showed to one another.
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