After retiring from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1837, Jean Baptiste and Marie Angelique’s son, Augustin, was granted a River Lot in the Red River. There, Augustin and his wife, Helen Ann Cameron, raised their children in the way that he had also grown up on his own parents’ Métis River Lot in Sault Ste. Marie.
It was from the Nolin’s River Lot in the Red River, that their Métis family’s legacy of collective resistance and political action that began a generation earlier in the Upper Great Lakes would continue.
As an adult, Augustin and Helen Ann’s son, Charles Nolin, would emerge as a significant figure in Métis politics.
Charles was deeply involved in the struggle for Métis rights and land claims during a time of increasing pressure from European settlers and the Canadian government. In the early 1870s, Charles—a first cousin of Louis Riel, by marriage—served in Louis Riel’s Provisional Government during the Red River Resistance.
In 1873, Charles served as Lieutenant Governor Alexander Morris’s interpreter during Treaty 3 negotiations. In 1874, Charles was elected to the Manitoba legislature, becoming provincial minister of agriculture in 1875. During his time in government, Charles advocated for Métis rights—for example, criticizing the scrip system and fighting for Métis farmers to have their loans forgiven.
Despite their dedication to the Métis cause and to securing Métis rights, Charles Nolin and Louis Riel had a complicated relationship, often disagreeing on the means to achieve their goals.
Despite these differences, however, Charles served again in Riel’s council during the North-West Resistance in 1885.
Following the resistance, Charles was arrested alongside other Métis leaders by the North-West Mounted Police. In a difficult decision, he agreed to testify against Riel in exchange for his own freedom. This choice had lasting consequences for his reputation among the Métis.
However, Charles continued to be involved in Métis politics and social life in Saskatchewan until his death, reflecting the enduring legacy of the Nolin family in the fight for Métis rights.