Pascal Breland was a famous 19th-century pre-confederation Canadian Métis farmer and politician. He was a well-known Metis trader and was popularly nicknamed "le Roi des traiteurs" (The King of the traders). He held several appointed political positions as well as elected offices, with his work and influence playing a key role in shaping the identity of Western Canadian provinces as they exist today. Personal life Breland was born on June 15, 1811 in the Saskatchewan Valley in the Northwest Territories (today in the province of Saskatchewan). His father, Pierre Berland dit Duboishu, was a French-Canadian Voyageur, hunter & trader. His mother, Marie Louise Josephe Bilideau (or Beledau) was of mixed French and First Nations ancestry. In the late 1820s, Pascal moved to the town St. François Xavier, Manitoba, with his family. There, on February 8, 1836, Pascal married Maria Grant (1820-1889), daughter of Cuthbert Grant. Pascal and Maria had fourteen children: Patrice Breland (1837-1908) Cycle Breland (1838-1842) Marie "Judith" Breland (1841-1907) — wife of Casimir Dauphinais, the son of Francois Dauphinais Thomas Breland (1842-1876) Elisabeth Breland (1844-1846) Marguerite Breland (1846-?) Luxine "Lucie" Breland (1848-1907) Clemence Breland (1849-?) — wife of Firmin Hamelin, the son of Salomon Hamelin; Clemence and Firmin were parents to Joseph Hamelin Placidee Breland (1851-1870) Elisabeth "Eliza/Laiza" Breland (1853-1921) Josue Breland (1855-?) Pascal Napoleon Breland (1857-1861) Gregoire Breland (1859-?) Marie Justine Breland (1861-?) Breland died on October 24, 1896; he is buried next to his wife in the St. Francois Xavier Roman Catholic Cemetery. Metis identity The distinct Metis culture that Pascal Breland belongs to is an important factor in understanding how he became a “prominent” Manitoban. Raised with the combined knowledge of fur traders and various First Nations peoples, Metis had a way of life that made them especially apt to dominate the pre-confederation plains economy. Breland gained land and notoriety through his farming ability, but also is rumored to have run an illegal side business trading in the region without the approval of the monopolistic Hudson's Bay Company. His marriage to Maria Grant is telling of a certain respect he held within his community, as her father was Cuthbert Grant, another prominent Metis leader. The expanded kinship network that resulted from this marriage was only strengthened by the fact that the couple had a--not uncharacteristically—large family of six boys and nine girls, with the eldest son Patrice eventually following in his father's political footsteps. Beyond