Métis Spring Traditions in Mattawa

In addition to Métis family ties and a vibrant culture of music and dance rooted in the fiddle and jigs, as early as the 1840s, Métis families in the Mattawa area maintained a strong traditional Métis economy and way of life, similar to those of other Métis communities in the historic North-West. 

Spring was a particularly important time of year for many Métis families. In early January 1849, for instance, the Langevin family was noted as “making a camp above the fort” at Mattawa, referring to a traditional harvesting camp. By April that year, “Langevin traded 100 lbs of maple sugar” at the Mattawa post.

The following day, the industrious Langevins began clearing land nearby with the intention of farming. Not two weeks later, Mattawa postmaster Colin Rankin noted that “Langevin and one of his men sowing, the others are plowing.” Their successes were made clear in the 1861 census, which noted that the Langevins “farm exclusively and live comfortably by it.”

Many of the Langevins’ land-based harvesting endeavours also involved the entire family. In a late March 1853 entry, for example, Postmaster Rankin noted that it was “Mme. Langevin and family” who “started out to their sugary,” not M. Langevin.

Many of these important spring traditions carry on within the Mattawa Métis Community to this day.

See Our Sources

• Mattawa Métis Community’s Submission to the MNC Expert Panel

• 1861 Census of Canada

• Journal of Colin Rankin, 1848-1853

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