Legault’s ancestry, a footnote
I amused myself by looking into the ancestry of François Legault last night. His family is deeply rooted on the western end of the island of Montreal – he was born in Lachine himself, but several previous generations lived in and around Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. A real West Island boy.
I don’t have time right now to plow further, but I can tell you: he’s French with one line of German ancestry, but no hints of indigenous ancestry that I could find. That isn’t to say he does not, but I couldn’t see any.
Kevin 12:20 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
I know he’s got an anglo cousin who is roughly the same age who lived very close to him in Ste. Anne’s.
Michael Black 13:25 on 2020-10-06 Permalink
Darryl Leroux was a bit slow, but he now tweets Legault is talking ten generations back.
Ian 08:13 on 2020-10-07 Permalink
I have one set of great-grandparents from a distinctly different place than my other relatives so I can see pretty definitively that I share 17.3% of my genes with them. So considerably less than the 25% one might imagine.
That said, you potentially share
50% with parents
25% with grandparents
12.5% with great grandparents
6.25% with great-great grandparents
3.125% with great-great-great grandparents
…
.097% (at most!) 10 generations back
According to my genetic tests I have 0.2% Native ancestry so that would be approximately my 12th generation, but given variability, maybe my 11th or even 10th. I only know the names of my great-great grandparents from their paper trail, of course they were dead long before I was born. With that, can you imagine how preposterous it would be for me to go around saying I have Native heritage so I speak from a position of privilege about it? Yeah me neither.
Jack 11:22 on 2020-10-07 Permalink
This is a personal story and it happened to me 45 years ago. My Grandfather is from Wendake and was a member of that Nation. I went to High School with a bunch of kids from Kanawake and played sports and went to class with these kids. We were walking to the bus one afternoon and I casually mentioned that my Grandfather was Indian…. 5 seconds of silence….” Jack your as Indian as my dog”…much laughter and I never trafficked in it after . So I was lucky to get schooled young.
Ian 12:07 on 2020-10-07 Permalink
Honest question, if that was your paternal grandfather, wouldn’t that give you status?
Jack 12:46 on 2020-10-07 Permalink
No it was my Mom’s father. It’s been a bone contention in my family because some of my cousins and have claimed Metis status, who are living in other parts of Canada and it’s been granted. I lived in two First Nations communities when I started teaching and that really reinforced for me the fact that I wouldn’t claim my Grand Fathers identity, other than being really proud of him and his people. I dont speak his language and I did not have his lived experience. Frankly growing up in NDG 60 years ago it was a lot easier to be Irish. I also find it interesting now how many people are reclaiming that identity to advance an argument or a career, I don’t.
This is my Grandfather
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/descendants-of-huron-wendat-ww-i-soldier-donate-war-memorabilia-to-wendake-1.5354682
Kate 13:05 on 2020-10-07 Permalink
Jack, unlike many white North Americans, you’re absolutely certain of your indigenous background – who they were and where they came from. It’s not just a vague folkloric belief. You’d certainly be considered Métis elsewhere, but I don’t think we’ve ever had that status in Quebec.
Admirable ancestor to have, too.
Jack 10:45 on 2020-10-08 Permalink
Thanks Kate
Michael Black 11:56 on 2020-10-08 Permalink
Is it that your mother married out, and thus lost status? Not only has that law been repealed, but I’m sure I’ve seen articles about people regaining status because their mother married out. But I can’t remember details.
Or did your grandfather lose status by joining up? I can’t remember if that was one of the things, like voting, which caused status to be lost.
A grandfather is not distant. Aren’t there other close relatives to claim you? Having status is a legal thing, imposed by the federal government, but that doesn’t negate you. Lots of people don’t speak their language, don’t know their culture, though it’s an ongoing story that many learn the value as they get older, and learn.
Nakuset was raised Jewish, that doesn’t make her less native.
It’s all complicated, and complicated more by people more distant who think some of it applies to them. That city councillor was vague, which seemed an indicator of no real substance.
But Metis is well defined, it’s not a catchall for people with native ancestors. I’d say some of it is resistance, if Cuthbert Grant and then Louis Riel, and later generations, hadn’t put up resistance there’d not be a Metis nation. You generally have to show a connection to Red River. I’ve seen scans of the scrips for my great, great grandmother and my great grandfather. My family is claimed as Metis in various ways. Oddly my Manitoba Metis Federation card is held up because I can’t prove a connection between my father and grandfather, the one thing I have known all my life. The records are only open for births before a hundred years ago. I have to find out how to get a copy of his birth certificate.
And while Metis is recognised to some extent by the federal government, it’s not the same thing as having status.
There can be Metis people living in the East, but there are no “Eastern Metis”.