Red River Grandmother

Two hundred years ago, Western Canada was still a largely unsettled prairie dominated by great herds of bison.

Aboriginal peoples living there were familiar with male European fur traders but white women were virtually unknown to them. This changed when Marie-Anne Lagimodière arrived in the West in 1806, accompanied by her new husband Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière, a trapper and fur trader.

Tensions soon arose when it became clear that Jean-Baptiste already had three children with an Indigenous woman. Despite the many hardships of frontier life, Marie-Anne adjusted to her situation.

The Lagimodières eventually homesteaded in the Red River Colony and raised a large family.

One of their children became the mother of Metis leader Louis Riel. Lagimodière’s story inspired Ottawa teacher Ruth Stewart-Verger to create a CD with songs and stories of her life.

Listen to excerpts:
Track 1: Carry Me Away I