1 Thirty and a half useful facts worth knowing about the Great Lakes Métis By Micheline Marchand Métis Rendez-vous are more than just a party Fact number 28: The Métis party at Rendez-vous not pow-wows Most people have heard of pow-wows but don’t have a clue what a Métis Rendez-vous is. Like a pow-wow, a Rendez-vous is a celebration where you find, amongst other things, music, dancing, traditional food as well as Aboriginal handicrafts. It’s an opportunity for Indigenous people to promote their pride in their culture as well as both their traditional and present ways of life. The Rendez-vous, a Métis-specific celebration, aspires to be a modern-day version of the Grand Rendez-vous, a major gathering of fur trade workers that would take place in the 18th and 19th centuries. This annual meeting occurred at the trading posts established by the North West Company (NWC) on the shores of Lake Superior, initially at Grand Portage, and later at Fort Kaministiquia. In 1807, the latter post was renamed Fort William and would remain the operational headquarters of the NWC until 1821. Fort William was more than just a fur-trading post. Its many buildings housed a number of services, like a canoe repair shop. In summer, it welcomed the NWC partners who held their annual meeting there. It is also the half-way exchange point in the 5,000 km-long network between Montreal and Lake Athabasca, that is between the canoes coming from the Northwest and those traveling from Montreal. During a few weeks, the population of Fort William swells from a mere 20 or so people to up to 2,000. The winterers, the merchants who lived in the Aboriginal communities, would arrive at the Rendez-vous in fur-laden canoes from the Northwest. They exchange these pelts with the voyageurs who have come from the East, the men they nickname the “pork-eaters” because during their long journeys they eat mostly salted pork. These “pork-eaters” have paddled between 14 to 16 hours per day and, during the portages, carried on average two packs weighing 40 kilos each on their backs. They earn between 30 to 60 pounds per year. At this time, a manual labourer in Montreal would be earning an annual wage of about 30 pounds. For these professional paddlers, the Grand Rendez-vous in July gives them a break before they climb back into their big 11-metre long canoes for the return trip home. Contrary to the winterers, who set up camp on the west side of Fort William, they camp on the east side. The voyageurs eat and sleep outside the fort’s wooden palisade, wrapped in blankets under the overturned canoes, and sometimes in tents made of bison hide. The men are assigned various chores. After all, they are far from being on holiday! Nevertheless, in the evenings they quench their thirst and play a number of games that test their skills and strength. 2 Over the years, many French-Canadians took part in the Rendez-vous. After, most return home, but not all. Many of the paternal ancestors of the Métis are among these voyageurs who decide to stay on in this vast country, far from the constraints and the routine of working the land, as well as the rigid social order of their home community. They succumb to the temptation of adventure, freedom and falling in love, both with the country and with the First Nations women with whom they start families. They are called the “Free Canadians”, but their descendants will be the Métis. Rendez-vous of the 21st century don’t have the same format as those of the past, but they do share the same spirit. These gatherings are an opportunity to renew ties with people from the community and forge friendships with other Métis. They are joyous occasions to swap stories and news, to have fun, discuss things and savour fish and other fine food. In this way, the concept of the régal, a special meal served to the voyageurs upon their arrival at Fort William, consisting of a loaf of bread, some butter, and a cup of rum, is still a part of the Rendez-vous. The main goal of the Grand Rendez-vous at Fort William was undoubtedly economic: exchanging trade goods for furs. This aspect is still part of today’s Rendez-vous. Of course vendors are there to sell their wares. But these Métis gatherings also serve to show governments that the Métis are still occupying their traditional homelands and that they deserve official recognition and funding to accomplish some of their projects. Thus, a political element enhances the economic aspect of the Rendez-vous. Today, for the Métis, taking part in the Rendez-vous is an occasion to celebrate what they were and what they have become. It is an opportunity to perpetuate their history and culture while sharing them with others. .