Putting Down Roots: Métis Agency, Land Use, and Women’s Food Labour in a Qu’Appelle Valley Road Allowance Community

by Cheryl Troupe, Maria Campbell (foreword)

408 pages, Paperback

Published April 17, 2025

Reviews

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Troupe's account of the Qu'Appelle Valley Metis community is a critical addition to our understanding of both Saskatchewan and Canadian history. Though I have heard of road allowance communities, this is the first book that I have encountered that provides a full history of the conditions that led to their existence and decline, as well as the multilayered and vibrant lives that occurred within them. The material impact on the Metis of the decline of the bison, their omittance from the Indian Act and treaty negotiations, and the general paternalism fueled by racism of governments at all levels, clearly comes into view in Troupe's account. The layering of methodologies, including HGIS, genealogy, and oral history provides the reader with a rich understanding of the community. I particularly loved learning about the different methods of earning and bartering that Metis turned to in order to survive, including bone picking and seneca root harvesting. I also appreciated how clearly Troupe demonstrates that 20th century conservation efforts negatively impacted the Metis' way of life and ability to survive off of the land. A must-read for anyone interested in Canadian history.