The Landscapes of my Ancestors: Using Archaeology to Tell the Story of Métis Connections to the Landscape

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, fur traders and bison hunters known as the Métis moved throughout a landscape that encompassed much of the space between the Rocky Mountains and the region now known as the Canadian province of Ontario. As a culture Indigenous to the Canadian West, they developed a deep connection to the land as they navigated the relationships between their First Nations and European kin. While some Métis, such as Marie Rose Delorme Smith, wrote down their experiences of this time, many of the stories were passed down through oral traditions. But what happens when the chain of oral storytelling is broken within a family? How can today’s Métis maintain their connections to such a vast landscape without the stories of their ancestors? In this chapter I discuss how the archaeology of three bison hunting communities can be used to tell the Métis stories connected with the surrounding landscapes. I will also explain how the application of the Cree and Métis concepts of keeoukaywin (the visiting way) and wâhkôhtowin (the state of being related) in archaeological analysis can aid in the deepening of the relationships between the Métis Nation and the landscapes of their ancestors.