For generations, Métis have been expert all-season travellers of the lands and waters of their Homelands.
As Christy Ann Simons recounted in her memoirs of growing up on St. Joseph Island, near Sault Ste. Marie, during the late 1800s, the local Métis community’s craftsmanship and place-based knowledge enabled them to travel freely all year long:
“The sailboat was their method of traveling in summer, dog team and snowshoes in winter (homemade sleds and shoes).”
For many, including the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community, the abundant waterways were the primary transportation routes. As Simons recalled, “[The Métis] lived mostly along the shores so roads were not needed, only trails along the shore.”
These time-honoured Métis skills enabled Métis families and communities to sustain themselves from the lands and waters and excel in various related professions such as guides, boat steerers, and commercial fishermen.
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