One of the Family: Metis Culture in Nineteenth-Century Northwestern Saskatchewan

In recent years there has been growing interest in identifying the social and cultural attributes that define the Metis as both Aboriginal and a distinct people. The study of Metis identity formation has also emerged as an innovative way to explore cultural encounters and change in North American history and anthropology. In One of the Family Brenda Macdougall employs the concept of wahkootowin – the Cree term for a worldview that privileges family and values interconnectedness – to trace the emergence of a Metis community in northern Saskatchewan. Wahkootowin describes how relationships in the nineteenth century were supposed to work and helps to explain how the Metis negotiated with fur trade companies and the Roman Catholic Church while nurturing a society that emphasized family obligation and responsibility. This path-breaking study offers a model for future research and discussion that will appeal to anyone interested in the history of the fur trade or Metis culture and identity.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Note on Methodology and Sources Note on Writing Conventions Introduction 1 "They are strongly attached to the country of rivers, lakes, and forests": The Social Landscapes of the Northwest 2 "The bond that connected one human being to another": Social Construction of the Metis Family 3 "To live in the land of my Mother": Residency and Patronymic Connections Across the Northwest 4 "After a man has tasted of the comforts of married life this living alone comes pretty tough": Family, Acculturation, and Roman Catholicism 5 "The only men obtainable who know the country and Indians are all married": Family, Labour, and the HBC 6 "The HalfBreeds of this place always did and always will dance": Competition, Freemen, and Contested Spaces 7 "I Thought it advisable to furnish him": Freemen to Free Traders in the Northwest Fur Trade Conclusion Appendix Glossary Notes Bibliography Index of Names Index of Subjects

About the Author :
Brenda Macdougall is an associate professor in the Department of Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

Review :
In a meticulously crafted study of the connections between the Metis families of the Sakitawak (Île à la Crosse) region of Saskatchewan, Brenda Macdougall adds richness to a familiar story by extending the focus of her study from the geographic, temporal, and cultural preeminence of Red River in historical discourse. - Venetia Boehmer-Plotz, Brock University (H-Canada Review) An impressive work that traces the emergence of the Metis community "as an expression of Aboriginality" (p. 56). One of the Family emerges as a welcome and much-needed contribution to the field and should serve as a valuable framework for future research. Both captivating and rigorous, this book is sure to engage scholars interested in Aboriginal-newcomer relations and Metis identity studies - Venetia Boehmer-Plotz, Brock University (H-Canada)