Empire of Wild

Cherie Dimaline is a Métis writer from the Georgian Bay Métis community, and she incorporates aspects of Métis mythology into many of her novels, including Empire of Wild. The Métis are one of three recognized Aboriginal peoples in Canada (along with the First Nations and Inuit).

The Métis people of Canada can trace their ancestry back to early relationships between European settlers and a variety of First Nations peoples. During the early years of European colonization in Canada, children fathered by French, English, or Scottish men and born to women from various First Nations communities developed a distinct cultural identity over time (the word Métis originates from the French word referring to someone of mixed racial ancestry). This distinctive cultural and often linguistic context is important, as not all individuals who have mixed Indigenous and non-Indigenous ancestry are Métis. Michif is a language spoken by some Métis communities, drawing on both French and Cree, with significant regional variations.

In the Prologue to Empire of Wild, Dimaline alludes to specific historical events that impacted the development of Métis communities along the shores of the Georgian Bay in the province of Ontario. During the War of 1812, British forces occupied Drummond Island, an island located in Lake Huron and part of the present-day state of Michigan. The island was the home to a significant Métis population that traced their ancestry to French fur traders known as voyageurs and First Nations people.

After the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1814 between Great Britain and the United States, Drummond Island remained the last British outpost on American soil and was not handed over to the United States until 1828. When the Island changed from British to American possession, most residents moved to Penetanguishene, Ontario. The Georgian Bay Métis community can trace its origins back to these events; for example, some of Dimaline’s ancestors are documented on an 1840 petition demanding that the British government (Canada did not become an independent nation until 1867) recognize the rights of the Métis as a distinctive people.