Tag Archives: Métis

03/26/25

Le matelot de Montréal

from Turtle Mountain Music  

(performance by Delia LaFloe) 

Strophe  Rhyme  Line  Text 
A  a  1  Grand dieu, tiens, le temps est long(e).  
  b  2  Que le temps qu’il est ennuyant. 
  c  3  Je m’en vais laisser les voir pour aller dans mon pays. 
  d  4  Pour aller dans mon pays, la ville de Montréal(e).   
  e  5  Pour aller voir m’aime qu’elle est la plus aimable. 
B  f  6  Toutes les gaies (gaietés) que j’ai dans ce monde c’est mon père ou c’est ma mère 
  a  7  donc mes frères et donc mes oncles et mes tantes pareillement 
  g  8  Le cœur de ma Clarisse que j’aime bien comme mama 
  e  9  j’espère qu’on la verra car elle est la plus aimable. 
C  h  10  Qui l’a composée la chansonnette? C’est un jeune, un matelot. 
  i  11  C’était un jour qu’il était en plein voyage qu’il l’a chantée tout du long 
  e  12  Qu’il l’a chantée tout du long qui était bien véritable. 
  j  13  Adieu, ma chan’ pillée. Adieu, ma chan’ sauvage. 

 Text Notes: 

  • French text was retrieved through the “Plains Chippewa/Metis Music from Turtle Mountain” album liner notes. 
  • Line breaks provided in the translation differ from the liner notes to align with strophes as identified in this analysis per the accompanying recording. 
  • The provided translation below differs from the liner notes to provide more direct and detailed translations of each line. 

English Translation: 

Grand dieu, tiens, le temps est long[e]*. Que le temps qu’il est ennuyant. 

Great God, time is boring. 

Je m’en [vais]** laisser [les voir]** pour aller dans mon pays. 

I’m going to leave them to go to my country. 

Pour aller dans mon pays, la ville de Montréal[e]*.  

To go to my country, the city of Montreal. 

Pour aller voir m’aime qu’elle est la plus aimable. 

To go see my love, she is the kindest. 

 

Toutes les gaies que j’ai dans ce monde c’est mon père ou c’est ma mère 

All the joys I have in this world is my father or my mother 

donc mes frères et donc mes oncles et mes tantes pareillement 

so (too)*** my brothers and so (too)*** my uncles and aunts alike. 

Le cœur de ma Clarisse que j’aime bien comme mama 

The heart of my Clarisse, whom I love like I do my mother 

j’espère qu’on la verra car elle est la plus aimable. 

I hope we will see her because she is the kindest. 

 

Qui l’a composée la chansonnette? C’est un jeune, un matelot. 

Who composed the little song? It was a young man, a sailor. 

C’était un jour qu’il était en plein voyage qu’il l’a chantée tout du long 

It was a day when he was in the middle of a voyage that he sang it all the way through 

Qu’il l’a chantée tout du long qui était bien véritable. 

He sang it all the way through, which was very true. 

Adieu, ma chan’ pillée. Adieu, ma chan’ sauvage. 

Farewell, my stolen song. Farewell, my wild song. 

 

*An extra “e” has been added as a sung syllable 

**Text may differ from the recording 

***Added for clarity in English, however a direct translation cannot be found in the original text. 

 

Laforte classification: Strophic 

  • Fixed form of 4 lines per strophe, with each verse ending with a couplet 
  • A narrative revolving around idyllic love (of a presumed lover and family, as well as country) and traveling. 

Narrative: 

A sailor is away from home; his home being Montreal. He begins with exclaiming to God about how long and lonesome it is. The song progresses into him deciding to go back. While on this journey back, he envisions seeing his family again; whom of which, bring joy to his life. The song ends in a third point perspective of the performer, explaining the origins of the story and their own sympathies to his story. 

Historical Context: 

This song is part of a collection of music recorded by the Chippewa and Cree Metis peoples from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation in North Dakota. The narrator in the beginning of the song had likely been living in the reserve and begun hoping to return to his home, Montreal. The liner notes indicate he was bidding “adieu” to aboriginal people. Along with this note, the original text being in French, and attributing Montreal to home, there is a good probability that the original singer was from Québec. 

Full French text being sung by a métis (Delia LaFloe) in a traditional chanson style reflects the close interaction of early French settlers with Indigenous groups. The connection between groups in North Dakota and Montreal also goes to show the distance the fur trade encouraged movement throughout Canada and the United States. The entirety of the song is perpetuated by a sense of longing for familial relationships and community.  

The shift in perspective of the last strophe, and the use of the word “pillée” on the last line, might indicate that this yearning has not yet been fulfilled by the singer. Alternatively, it may also be referring to inevitable separation from family members caused by having to move during the period of fur trading. Regardless of its exact meaning, the last strophe signifies that this story has significance that holds true to the experience of the residents of Turtle Mountain. 

Suggested sources:

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 

Related contents:

Ojibwe

Métis

03/14/25

Ojibwe

The Ojibwe are indigenous peoples that are part of the larger group, Anishinaabeg [1]. The Anishinaabeg refers to indigenous peoples that are linked together culturally and linguistically, whom of which reside both in Canada and the United States [2]. The Ojibwe are also part of the Algonquin peoples, who’s ancestry can be found in Eastern Canada; primarily Ottawa and Quebec.  

The Algonquin were allies with early French settlers against the Haudenosaunee, a separate indigenous nation, and maintained alliances with the French settlers during the fur trade for military equipment, fur trading, and later, general supplies [3]. Ojibwe peoples migrated from Northeast Canada and spanned Southwest ward through to Manitoba. In the United States, Ojibwe peoples reside in the Northeast parts of Michigan, through to the Northern section of North Dakota [4]. 

This wide dispersal was due to the growing fur trading enterprise. Some Ojibwe peoples involved with the fur trade also participated in the Feast of the dead, an event held by the Huron [5], an allied Iroquoian-speaking indigenous nation [6]. The Feast of the dead refers to the event in which the movement of the bodies of departed souls (who did not die violent deaths) are relocated to a common ossuary, which was lined with beaver robes. The event helped facilitate fur and goods distribution between groups. 

Suggested Sources:

  1. Bishop, C. A. (2008, August 13). Ojibwe | the Canadian encyclopedia. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ojibwa 
  2. Hele, K. S. (2020, July 16). Anishinaabe. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/anishinaabe 
  3. Black, M. J. (2007, September 30). Algonquin. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/algonquin 
  4. Peacock, T. D., & Wisuri, M. (2002). A Chapter Road Map. In Ojibwe Waasa Inaabidaa (pp. 18–26). essay, Afton Historical Society Press., from https://books.google.ca/books?id=tIljlOKroM0C&lpg=PA10&ots=e0lyqX0pGd&dq=ojibwe&lr&pg=PA22#v=onepage&q=ojibwe&f=false. 
  5. Marsh, J. H. (2006, February 7). Feast of the dead. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/feast-of-the-dead 
  6. Heidenreich, C. E. H. (2011, January 4). Wendat (Huron). The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/huron 

Related Contents:

 

01/1/25

Au chant de l’alouette

On m’envoie au champ c’est pour y cueillir
On m’envoie au champ c’est pour y cueillir
Je n’ai point cueilli, j’ai cherché des nids

Au chant de l’alouette
Je veille et je dors
J’écoute l’alouette
et puis je m’endors

Je n’ai point cueilli, j’ai cherché des nids
Je n’ai point cueilli, j’ai cherché des nids
J’ai trouvé la caille assis sur son nid

Au chant de l’alouette
Je veille et je dors
J’écoute l’alouette
et puis je m’endors

J’ai trouvé la caille assis sur son nid
J’ai trouvé la caille assis sur son nid
J’lui marché sur l’ail’ et la lui rompis

Au chant de l’alouette
Je veille et je dors
J’écoute l’alouette
et puis je m’endors

J’lui marché sur l’ail’ et la lui rompis
J’lui marché sur l’ail’ et la lui rompis
Elle m’a dit “Pucelle’, retir’-toi d’ici”

Au chant de l’alouette
Je veille et je dors
J’écoute l’alouette
et puis je m’endors

Elle m’a dit “Pucelle’, retir’-toi d’ici”
Elle m’a dit “Pucelle’, retir’-toi d’ici”
Je n’suis pas Pucelle’, je lui répondis

Au chant de l’alouette
Je veille et je dors
J’écoute l’alouette
et puis je m’endors

 

Suggested Sources:

Contents: Track 1. C’est L’aviron Track; 2. Frite a L’huile Track; 3. J’entends Le Moulin; Track 4. Ningi Wabama Mahingan; Track 5. Des Fois on Dit Non; Track 6. Au Champ De L’alouette; Track 7. A La Claire Fontaine; Track 8. Petite Rocher.

12/28/24

Hudson’s Bay Company

Hudson’s Bay Company was chartered on May 2, 1670. It began as a fur trading business as aresult of the increasing demand in beaver fur, and it would later become one of the largest furtrade companies in the world. As of today, Hudson’s Bay Company is a private business ownedby a holding company. The company was founded when French traders Médard Chouart desGroseilliers and his brother-in-law, Pierre-Esprit Radisson, after being rejected Quebec andFrench support, sought patronage of England by proposing a trading route that reached theinterior part of the continent. This route eventually gave traders easy access to fur resourcesfrom the local indigenous people. After being persuaded by Prince Rupert of the idea of a furtrade and its economic potential of that region, King Charles II agreed to finance a voyage toHudson Bay.
The first voyage happened on June 3, 1688 with Radisson setting out on the Eaglet and desGroseilliers on the Nonsuch. The Eaglet was damaged by a storm, however, the Nonsuchreturned a year later with a cargo of beaver pelts. Convinced by this return, later on May 2,1760, King Charles II granted a Royal Charter to Prince Rupert and his “Company ofAdventurers of England trading into Hudson’s Bay,” hence the Hudson’s Bay Company wasofficially established. This royal charter gave the company the control of trade and ownership ofall lands surrounded by the water flowing into the Bay, which was later named Rupert’s Land,this totaled to be more than 3 million square miles of land. This territory ultimately becameprovinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, southern Alberta, parts of British Columbia, northwest-Nunavut Territory, northern Ontario, and northern Quebec. It also covered regions of present-day Montana, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. In fact, many parts of Rupert’s Landlater became known as “Métis Homeland” by the Métis people.
As a result of the fur trade, Indigenous people’s lifestyle and economy has changed; manycame to rely on European manufactured goods and food for survival, and led to an increasedcompetition among Indigenous peoples for European goods. Previously, Indigenous tradersmostly acted as the middlemen, as they brought furs from communities hidden further inland totrading posts. Later more indigenous people moved away from their territory in search of furanimals in order to obtain a better trade position.
Among the goods traded, beaver pelts were the most valuable to the settlers, and they wereconsidered the highest quality after trapping during fall and winter months. The indigenoustraders traded beaver pelts for metal goods like guns, also textiles and food. They had acurrency of the fur trade which was the Made Beaver coin, this was introduced in order tostandardize trade; one beaver coin was equivalent to one prime beaver skin.

Suggested Sources:

Arthur J. Ray, “Hudson’s Bay Company,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Nathan Coschi, Leanna Fong, Sasha Yusufali, Nathan Baker, and Jessica Poulin (eds.). Published online, 2 April 2009; Last edited, 19 January 2013. Accessed online, 6 March 2025, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hudsons-bay-company

Harris, Carolyn, “Rupert’s Land,” Canada’s History. Published online, 26 October 2016. Accessed online, 6 March 2025, https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/exploration/rupert-s-land 

“What is Rupert’s Land?” Rupert’s Land Institute. Accessed online, 6 March 2025, https://www.rupertsland.org/about/what-is-ruperts-land/ 

“The Fur Trade,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Accessed online 6 March 2025, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/the-fur-trade.

“Hudson’s Bay Company Beginnings,” ‌CBC History, Accessed online, 6 March 2025, https://www.cbc.ca/history/EPCONTENTSE1EP6CH1PA5LE.html 

Related Contents:

Métis People

Other Materials:

Film about Métis struggles with monopoly of HBC: https://www.nfb.ca/film/mistress_madeleine/

Synopsis (NFB): Part of the Daughters of the Country series, this film, set in the 1850s, unfolds against the backdrop of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s monopoly of the fur trade. In protest, some Métis engage in trade with the Americans. Madeleine, the Métis common-law wife of a Hudson’s Bay Company clerk, is torn between loyalty to her husband and loyalty to her brother, a freetrader. Even more shattering, a change in company policy destroys Madeleine’s happy and secure life, forcing her to re-evaluate her identity.