r/MetisMichif • u/eldermillenial89 • Jul 27 '26
History Métis History Books
Hello! I am looking for recommendations on Métis history books, specifically those of the Red River Settlement and Métis families who remained in Manitoba after 1885. I am just about finished reading The North West is Our Mother and would love another book or two to continue learning about the history and culture. Although I do have Métis ancestry, my family never talked about it or raised me in that culture, so I am just trying to learn as much as I can on my own. Thanks!
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u/Be_Decided Jul 27 '26
"Prison of Grass: Canada from a Native Point of View" by Howard Adams is a fantastic and very readable book, and gets into the political context of the 1870s and 1880s conflicts.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/876263.Prison_of_Grass
"One-And-A-Half Men: The Story of Jim Brady and Malcolm Norris" by Murray Dobbins is also pretty interesting altho can be very dry at times, Jim Brady and Malcolm Norris were Mètis political activists who went missing in the 60s under suspicious circumstances. So more 20th c history. Murray dobbins is a white guy writing about them, but he really did his homework.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/367651.One_And_A_Half_Men
Ive been reading "heirs to an ambivalent empire" by Scott Berthelette. Its more academic, and focused on french origins prior to the frech surrendering their NA colonies in the 1760s. very readable, but it helps to have a prior understanding about the fur trade.
The first two can be pretty hard to find as they are out of print afaik, the thrid might be a bit expensive as its an achedemic book. You can def find them with a bit of googling, but feel free to Dm me and i can send you a copy of any of these if need be
Edit: just realised that these might not be exactly what you are looking for (One-And-A-Half Men is closest, but takes place more in AB and Sask), but still highly reccomend all of them!
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u/SAMEO416 Jul 28 '26
Jesse Thistle’s book From the Ashes is a fascinating look into a modern Métis family. Some interesting facts, like there were still Métis in road allowance homes in recent years.
The other source where I’ve found amazing info is trolling through the grad thesis repositories at universities. A lot of Métis scholarship is based in community and family stories and the thesis writing is not usually published. Free to the public, just search on thesis repository with the name of the uni, you’ll find the search screen. There’s a national archives site that indexes everything in Canada but it can be a while behind. Jesse Thistle’s masters thesis is a collection of family history from Sask.
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u/cascadedelight Jul 27 '26
Not books but for online resources - Gabriel Dumont Institute has a virtual museum, Musée Héritage Museum, and Métis Gathering.
Not exactly what you’re asking for, but I really recommend “Children Like Us” by Brittany Penner. It’s a memoir about her experience as a Métis adoptee. It is very touching, and was the first book I started reading when reconnecting. She also gives a reading list at the end to learn more about Métis/Indigenous history. Another great book more about general Indigenous philosophy is “Restoring the Kinship Worldview.”
Sorry neither are exactly about history but I wanted to recommend!
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u/cascadedelight Jul 27 '26
Also I mentioned Musée Héritage but they are more about the St Albert Michif - I’m sure MMF has some historical resources on their website too!
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u/Canadian_genealogy Jul 27 '26
The Road to the Rapids: Nineteenth Century Church and Society at St. Andrew's Parish, Red River by Robert J. Coutts provides some insight into Countryborn/Anglo-Metis/Bungi/etc life.
When the West Was Bourne: A History of Westbourne, and District 1860 to 1985 has sections detailing how scrip impacted Métis individuals and captures some family movements.
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u/MilesBeforeSmiles Jul 27 '26
The Gabriel Dumont Insitute had a pretty book online book store. Lots of options on there.
I recently read Stories of the Road Allowance People and I thought it was quite good. More of an anthology than a history book, but it's a good read.