In 1860, a newspaper account remarked on the easily distinguishable M\u00e9tis of the upper Great Lakes, who were \u201crather fancifully dressed, having their caps and clothing ornamented with beads.\u201d Many others described the distinct M\u00e9tis way of life that blended hunting, fishing, farming, trapping, various forms of paid employment and making \u201cconsiderable quantities of maple sugar\u201d every spring.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSince the early 1800\u2019s, M\u00e9tis culture has been one of the many things that makes the Huron-Superior Region so vibrant and unique,\u201d explains Huron-Superior M\u00e9tis Community Councillor, Mitch Case. \u201cWe believe that M\u00e9tis cultural resiliency remains one of the Algoma District\u2019s greatest untapped assets that can continue to be an important source of regional socioeconomic strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Huron-Superior Regional M\u00e9tis Community (MNO Region 4) is investing in that belief through its recently launched Culture-Based M\u00e9tis Business Grants program. Its goal is to support the growing number of M\u00e9tis citizens within the region who are creating shared economic prosperity while also revitalizing and preserving traditional M\u00e9tis knowledges and skills for future generations.<\/p>\n
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\u201cEntrepreneurship has always been at the heart of M\u00e9tis culture, and our cultural knowledge has always been part of our economy\u201d added Case. \u201cBe it the traditional ways of preserving our foods for trade and sale, working with the gifts of the land, or making clothing, our people have always found ways to put their skills to work for their families and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Eligible M\u00e9tis citizens throughout the Huron-Superior Region can apply for up to $2,000 to help start or grow their own Culture-Based M\u00e9tis Business.<\/p>\n
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The program takes a holistic and flexible view of what a Culture-Based M\u00e9tis Business can look like, reflecting the richness and diversity of M\u00e9tis culture itself. Eligible businesses can range from those that utilize M\u00e9tis arts and traditional skills, such as beadwork and quilting, to those engaged in M\u00e9tis land- and food-based practices, like guiding and maple sugaring.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe hope our M\u00e9tis citizens can be inspired by their own families\u2019 stories,\u201d says Case. \u201cI often think about one of my own ancestors, known for her \u2018barkwork\u2019, whose occupation combined her basket-making talents with the natural gifts provided by these lands.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Funding can be spent on nearly anything that helps M\u00e9tis citizens achieve their business development vision. This includes business start-up costs, materials and supplies, salaries and honoraria, or advertising initiatives.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBusinesses can qualify even if they don\u2019t sell their goods or services for money,\u201d noted Councillor Case. \u201cSupporting our many M\u00e9tis entrepreneurs who are keeping the traditional gifting and trading economy alive is just as important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Eligible Culture-Based M\u00e9tis Businesses also automatically qualify for additional wrap-around business supports, including website development, eCommerce integration, graphic design, digital marketing and social media support, delivered through the Region\u2019s partner, Shop M\u00e9tis.<\/p>\n
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The Huron-Superior Regional M\u00e9tis Community is also making several investments that will further connect Culture-Based M\u00e9tis Businesses within the broader regional economy. This includes paying for M\u00e9tis business\u2019s registration to the local Chamber of Commerce and opening brand-new M\u00e9tis market and gift shops at the region\u2019s two M\u00e9tis Nation of Ontario offices in Sault Ste. Marie and Blind River.<\/p>\n
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Later this summer, the community will also host a M\u00e9tis business open house and networking event, to support further relationship building with local citizens and enhance connections with other regional businesses.<\/p>\n
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\u201cCulture-Based M\u00e9tis Businesses can help bring new money into the region. Strong relationships with local citizens and businesses mean more of that money stays and circulates within our regional economy,\u201d added Councillor Case. \u201cThat\u2019s why we always say that an investment in our M\u00e9tis economy truly is an investment in our entire region\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Culture-Based M\u00e9tis Business owners can click here<\/a> to learn more and apply for funding, or contact Samantha Boyer, at SamanthaB@metisnation.org<\/a>, for more information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Funding through the Culture-Based M\u00e9tis Grants Program will be available until April 30, 2023 and distributed to eligible grantees on a first come first served basis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Huron-Superior Regional M\u00e9tis Community (M\u00e9tis Nation of Ontario \u2013 Region 4) includes the M\u00e9tis Nation of Ontario Citizens in the area from Sault Ste. Marie, east to Massey and Sault Ste. Marie, north to White River inclusive. Citizens are represented at the local level by the Historic Sault Ste. Marie M\u00e9tis Council and the North Channel Metis Council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 1860, a newspaper account remarked on the easily distinguishable M\u00e9tis of the upper Great Lakes, who were \u201crather fancifully dressed, having their caps and clothing ornamented with beads.\u201d Many others described the distinct M\u00e9tis way of life that blended hunting, fishing, farming, trapping, various forms of paid employment and making \u201cconsiderable quantities of maple …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-02 20:17:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59813,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59812\/revisions\/59813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}