In August 2017, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Province of Ontario announced their creation of the historic Métis community of Killarney & Environs. It’s meant to support MNO’s claims to Métis Aboriginal rights. Métis people with customs and a way of life that is noticeably different than that of First Nations or European people…MNO says they must be “more than a mere mixed Aboriginal ancestry population”.
But Killarney & Environs is a fictional settlement, populated by a small selection of Anishinaabek that MNO transformed into Métis inhabitants.
MNO relies heavily on records that describe people as being of mixed Indian-European ancestry (e.g., half-breeds), as if this observation alone is sufficient evidence of being Métis.
MNO and Ontario have nothing to say about the history of Killarney & Environs. Instead, they focus on the village of Shebahonaning, now known as Killarney. At the same time that Ontario is highlighting its commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, it is a collaborator with MNO in the deliberate erasure of our Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi ancestors.
The brief available for download in the pdf below illustrates some of the misrepresentations in their superficial research about our community. It was sent to the federal Standing Committee on Indigenous & Northern Affairs. The Committee limits briefs to 10 pages of information, double-spaced.
Shebahonaning
Chebonaning
Jiibaonaning
Zhiibaanaaning
Killarney
"Shebahonaning" sounds like
"jii-bon-an-ing", with the emphasis on "bon".
