The Metis Nation formed over this period of 150 years, throughout the entire area of Rupert's land and the explored territory of the North West Company. The Metis took a stand for their rights as a nation many times throughout this period, with the Battle of Seven Oaks standing out. This battle stands out not so much as the first stand of the new Nation, but the first stand against the significant encroachment of England on the Metis way of life. Historians point to this battle as the beginning of the Metis Nation, but the Metis way of life was established back in the 1600s when the coureur des bois left the established colonies of France and forged a joining of the new and old worlds in North America -- long before either Canada or the United States brought their colonies into union. The beginning ostracizing of the coureur des bois out of New France for trading with the Indians in their own territory, sent these wandering men out into the new land; they cohabitated with the Indian Nations and start families and eventually led them to forge their own nation: a mixing of European and Indian, French and New World. Their independent nature within their new Metis Nation assisted the formation of Canada and the United States.

The beginning of a new nation of people who were called at various times "Les Canadiennes, brois brulle, half-breeds, The Flower Bead Work People, The Buffalo People, the children of the fur trade and, finally, the Metis Nation".

During the early years of the fur trade, there was a significant difference between the employees of the Hudson's Bay and the NorthWest Companies. The mixed employees of the Bay Company were known as English Half-Breeds while the employees of the NorthWest Company called themselves les Canadiennes or free traders (French Metis). Their history is different, but they come together as history proceeds. The English Half-breeds mainly settled around the Hudson's Bay forts and were farmers and small business owners. The free traders roamed the land and were unequalled hunters, guides and voyageurs. By the 1800s the Metis fell into three groups: those who worked in the fur trade as post factors, clerks, interpreters, canoemen, and packers; those who led semi-settled lives on small farms or plots of land where they grew grain and raised livestock and, finally, those who were involved in the buffalo hunts and were trappers living out on their trap-lines and were known as Hiverants.

Many fathers of Metis children sent them to the east or back to England to be educated. These educated children were prized by the fur companies as they had the necessary skills to run the enterprise and the native skills of the new land. These were the men who worked to bring the wealth to the fur trading companies. Most of the Metis were buffalo hunters and supplied the fur companies with the much needed pemmican: which was made from dried buffalo meat, lard and sometimes berries or fruit. Pemmican was the staple food for the entire fur trade industry and once again the Metis were instrumental in providing the food of the prosperous industry of fur trade.

As the fur trade companies ventured further into the Northwest, the Metis led the way through their involvement with the NorthWest Company. As guides, they were renowned for their knowledge of the land. The Hudson's Bay followed with their English Half-breeds settling around the forts. Many conflicts occurred during this period of time between employees of both companies trying to out trade the other. The growing Canadian government began to try to settle the Metis and supported religious groups to settle with the Metis. The English Half-breeds supported the Anglican Missionaries and the Metis maintained their French roots with the Catholic Church. These religious groups continued to press the Metis to settle their wild ways and take up farming. Some of them established themselves in villages throughout the Northwest, but in particular in the fertile Red River. A conflict arose in 1811, when Lord Selkirk tried to establish a settlement colony there and the Metis protested the encroachment.

During the 1700 and 1800s the need for pemmican had increased and the Metis Buffalo Hunters became a distinct cultural entity on the Prairies. The Metis pemmican industry was so huge that the gross was larger than the gross national product of either Canada or the United States. These individuals went on bi-annual buffalo hunts, prepared and sold pemmican and changed the face of the land through their Red River Carts. They devised a form of transportation know as the Red River Cart. The plans for this vehicle came from their French roots, adapting the peasant carts of France into a fur trading vehicle. The carts had huge wheels enabling them to carry amazing weights of furs and goods with the hubs slotted into place, bare wood on bare wood. Hence these vehicles were extremely noisy. These Red River Carts could be disassembled at river banks, turned into floating barges and reassembled on the other side. In the 1700 and 1800s thousands of these carts could be seen on the Prairie landscape as the Metis went on their buffalo hunts. Most trade routes and future roads of both the U.S.A. and Canada were laid down on Metis Red River Cart trails. See my Metis pages for a more in depth look at the Metis Nation.

Of note are the two similar but different coloured flags at the top. Both represent the Metis Nation, however, historically significant. See my flag page for information on this.