Wiisaakodewininiwag ga-nanaakonaawaad: Jiibe- Giizhikwe, Racial Homeopathy, and “Eastern Métis” Identity Claims

Abstract

While Justice Dallaire was of the opinion that it would be “easier to nail Jell-O to the wall” than draw any conclusions about the existence of a “Métis” community in Maniwaki, the Séguin affaire is nevertheless scheduled to go to trial in 2020. The lawyer for the accused in the Tremblay affaire has asked for a trial novo due to "new evidence" that has come forward. This "new evidence" is partly from Dr. Sébastien Malette's expert witness report and testimony in the Séguin affaire as well as from Guillaume Marcotte's M.A. thesis that was recently published as a monograph. Malette and Marcotte also published an article together in which they claim that a certain Marie-Louise Riel of the Gatineau region was Louis Riel's aunt and that she hid him from Canadian authorities. This article seeks to evaluate both of these claims, as well as to contextualize certain quotes from Louis Riel, Gabriel Dumont and Valéry Havard that they mobilize as further "evidence" of the existence of historical "Métis" communities in eastern Canada.