Northern Lake Superior: “of the Métis Nation”
- Ontario Métis Facts
- Apr 8
- 2 min read
The Northern Lake Superior Historic Métis Community was one of seven historic Métis Nation communities in northern Ontario studied by the landmark MNC Expert Panel through the lens of the 2002 National Definition and contemporary Métis governance.
During its year-long study, the MNC Expert Panel reviewed over 50,000 pages of evidence, engaged with over 160 Métis Nation citizens, elders, youth, scholars, and leaders during more than 120 hours of meetings, and visited the Northern Lake Superior Historic Métis Community to engage with and gather additional evidence from community members themselves.
The MNC Expert Panel’s 260-page Final Report represented the most comprehensive, transparent, ethical, and objective study ever conducted on historic Métis Nation communities in what is now Ontario and outlined fact-based historic and contemporary relationships between the Northern Lake Superior Historic Métis Community and the larger Métis Nation.
The Expert Panel’s conclusions were unambiguous, stating that the Northern Lake Superior Historic Métis Community “clearly meets the threshold and is a member of the Métis Nation” (pg. 132) as per the National Definition and contemporary Métis governance, highlighting that “[I]t was in the Lake Nipigon region that one of the first modern-day Métis political associations was formed… In 1965” (pg. 136).
The Expert Panel also recognized a regional Métis community in the Upper Great Lakes, of which the Northern Lake Superior Historic Métis Community is an indivisible part, and that “Clearly there were communities of ‘Halfbreeds’ in this area, characterized by their involvement in fur trade enterprises, their unique amalgamation of religious practices, and their political actions” (pg. 138).
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