Hi and welcome to
the Upper Great Lakes Metis site
Hello, I’m Jim.
If you are here then you must be interested, as I am, in protecting the Upper Great Lakes and their drainage basin as a homeland for the Metis People!
About ten years ago I began to notice that the Metis governments operating in Ontario were becoming increasingly interested in being legally bound to the Provincial and Federal Governments of Canada.
This disturbed me, so I began to study the historical documents which frame our existence in this great land. I spent many hours continuing to research my own family history and the histories of other families mentioned in the Drummond Island migration of 1828.
This research led me to the Penetanguishene Archives, a treasure trove of historic information regarding the fur trade in the Upper Great Lakes.
What I found was a society of free people living well on a land which provided for them. They hunted, they fished, they traded, they built homes, married, raised families, lived and died without a government license, permit or validation. Their life stories are recorded as snippets from notarial journals, church records, military records and some societal commentaries written by outside onlookers.
Many of us, the Metis, have oral family histories which confirm the same lifestyles for our families from two hundred years ago.
I coupled all this with research from the colonial government perspective
Year
Year
Year
Year
1700
Since the mid 1700’s the governments of France, England and Spain have been placing their stamp of ownership on North America.
The French territories of Canada, the St. Lawrence River watershed, and Louisiana, the Mississippi River watershed were prosperous fur trade lands with very little colonization. The British territory of the eastern seaboard, the Thirteen Colonies, was a different story.
The “Americans” saw the frontier areas as ripe for colonization and proceeded to drive out and kill the Indian populations.
1759
In 1759 the British defeated the French in Canada at the battle of Quebec City and proceeded to put their stamp of ownership and control on their new land.
1763
Then in the spring of 1763, Pontiac led an Indian uprising which spread from Florida to Michilimackinac. The uprising was eventually put down but the British King, George 111, understood that he had only taken the French colonial holdings and not the title to any of the Indian land.
On October 7, 1763 He basically declared that all existing Indian land, or land belonging to “Any of them” should be considered as separate nations under His sovereign umbrella. This document is embedded in the Constitution Act of Canada 1982.
The document outlines our inherent rights as Metis and the responsibilities of the Crown to protect those rights.
I have included a copy of the Royal Proclamation of October 7, 1763 for your interest below.
The proclamation indicates that land rights can only be assumed by the Crown if we the people decide to sign them over, this is bourn out in all of the First Nations/Canada treaties.
This indicates that the “Indians or any of them” have a national ownership of the land irregardless of any established personal ownership. Since there is no currently established or active Metis/Canada treaty covering the Upper Great Lakes then this territory is still Metis Homeland.
The Supreme Court has stated that the duty to prove the extinguishment of rights falls to the Crown, in other words the Crown needs signed transfer of ownership from us in order to deprive us of rights. Without that document the Crown is relying on rights purchased from the First Nations, therefore we are in the first position of ownership.
Download A Copy Of The Royal Proclamation of 1763
2017
In order to protect this Homeland or Hunting Ground as it is referred in the Royal Proclamation, I have made a Claim of Aboriginal Right to the Queen. According to section 9 of the Constitution Act 1982, the Monarch has all executive authority in Canada, and so I addressed my claim there.
I have provided a copy of my Claim of Aboriginal Right as well for your interest.
I have children and grandchildren, as I am sure you do, who deserve the right to continue on this land without hindrance by the colonial governments, so I invite you to adhere to my Claim of Aboriginal Right.
You are eligible if you are Metis and
Live within the physical boundary, outlined on the Hunting Ground map
OR
Connect historically to the claimed Hunting Ground
I intend this association of individuals and representative councils, connected by family ties and common heritage, to work together for the protection of this Hunting Ground as a Metis Homeland for the use and enjoyment of generations to come.
Upper Great Lakes Metis Adhesion
When you adhere to the claim you will be asked for your name, electronic contact information and a photo of your current Metis Card. This photo is for verification purposes only and will be deleted from our files immediately after verification.
The contact info will be held in a secure location and only used to contact you regarding updates to the claim or requests for your input. Your contact information will not be shared with any other group or government without your consent.