Saint-Laurent, Manitoba: Evolving Métis Identities, 1850-1914

Regina, SK: Canadian Plains Research Center, 2004. Soft cover. Very Good. Clean, tight, unmarked; light wear to inside corners; small nick to back bottom edge; otherwise spine straight and uncreased; very minimal wear; Between 1850 and 1914 the residents of saint-Laurent experienced a series of social and economic changes with both internal and external origins that affected them in a variety of ways. this author contends that, first, prior to 1880 to Metis of Saint-Laurent led a more diversified life than the Metis specialized in bison hunting. Second, their self-identification as Metis did not follow clear and steadfast "rules" as has been argued in past studies. Third, economic variations within the lakeshore community had been growing from 1850 onward and produced complex social interrelationships that affected self-identity. after 1914 only a fraction of the descendants of families identified and "Metis" in 1870 considered themselves or were considered by others as being of Metis origin. The reasons for such identification had more to do with economic well-being, lifestyle and class position than with genealogy and ancestry.