We are the descendants of the Cree (nehiyawewin)-speaking Métis people of mânitow sâkahikanihk, Plains Cree for ‘god’s lake’, in English known as Lac Ste. Anne.
Our community is descended from a network of self-supporting families who occupied the landscape at mânitow sâkahikanihk since the time before the arrival of the Oblate missionaries in the mid-1800’s. Our Ancestors themselves are descendants, many the children and grandchildren of Iroquois (haudenosaunee) free men and Cree:Métis (nehiyawak:apihtâwikosisâniskwêwak) women. At Lac Ste. Anne and various networked locations, the stability and sustenance of place led to the creation of a rich, unique cultural identity, and independent ways of life that persist to the present day.
The traditional territory for our Lac Ste. Anne Métis community links closely to our family genealogies, encompassing a significant portion of what today is understood as west central Alberta.
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