My direct ancestor, Louis.
He came from a long line of Métis. From East to West, uniting Indigenous Peoples.
From the union of our earlier ancestor, French Settler Jean (1636-1671) and Catherine Anenonta (1649-1709), Attignawantan – People of the Bear, comes a long line of Métis.
For over 100 years, each generation explored the waterways West of Kahnawáʼkye – Big Waterway.
Born in Berthier in Lanaudière, Louis, like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather before him, traveled to and from the Western part of Gichi gumi – Lake Superior.
In the 1784 to 1801, Louis took three contracts with McTavish Frobisher & Co. – which later became the North West Company. to Gichi-onigamiing – Grand Portage.
In 1803, he would take contract to travel further West to Gojiji-zaaga’igan – Lac à la Pluie
In a book by Joachim Fromhold titled: Pakisimotan Wi Iniwak – The Western Cree, a written history of Jacques Cardinal – one of the first of the famed Mountain Men of the West, we find several passages referring to Louis.
It appears from these memoirs that Louis traveled to Iyaghchi Eennu Sipi – Lesser Slave River and Atikameg – Tête-Blanche – Whitefish:
The name-place Atikameg hit me like a jolt. I have other ancestors from Atikamekw communities in Tapiskwan Sipi – Mauricie and Lanaudière.
Niw’hk’m’kanak – All Our Relations.
Les écrits d'une ♾Abitawiskwe♾ and her writings 
My Grandmother was Eileen Bourgeois the daughter of Albert Bourgeois and Emma Bourgeois (Durand). They settled in Rainy River Ontario and went back and fourth from St. Malo Manitoba. My mother told me that Grandpa Bourgeois was a Canadian and Grandmother Emma Bourgeois (Durand) was an American. I believe that they were both Metis.
Kwei, Do you know the names of Emma’s parents? Bourgeois is kin to my partner, halfbreed from Manitoba whose ancestors emigrated from Lanaudière Québec and originally displaced from Acadia.
I didn’t realize that someone had replied. So sorry. We must be from the same line. Awesome. Did they go to St. Malo Manitoba by chance. Yes they were displaced from Acadia and emigrated from Lanaudiere, Quebec. Emma’s parents were Theophile, Louis, Arthur, Durand and Madeline Tougas.
The Bourgeois kin of my partner were recorded in the Rural Municipality of Grey in 1908 and later, in Ste-Rose du Lac.