EDMONTON, AB (May 4, 2007) - Métis National Council and University of Alberta today in Edmonton launched The Métis National Council Historical Online Database.

This project of the highest significance for the Métis Nation is a part of the Métis National Council’s National Research Initiative, and is a result of three years of extensive research by the Métis Archival Project (MAP) team, based at the Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta and lead by Dr. Frank Tough. The project included developing a database of textual information extracted from numerous archival documents and high-resolution digital photos, as well as scans of various historical documents.

The Métis National Council Historical Online Database is a state-of-the-art tool, which will enable researchers, and more importantly, Métis Nation citizens from across Canada, to access valuable historical information and reconstruct their genealogies, which is of vital importance to the ongoing clarification of Métis rights. This information was previously only available on microfilm or at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.

“The Métis Nation is hungry, we hunger for more information,” MNC President Clément Chartier said. “With Information comes knowledge, and with that knowledge, we as Métis people, who for decades and generations have been very wise in a way we do things, are going to take that knowledge and continue pressing forward for our legitimate place within this country and this world. And I believe at the end of the day, through these most important initiatives between universities and ourselves, with a dedicated work of our young people, we are going to one day succeed.”
The Métis National Council Historical Online Database can be accessed through the MNC website, or through this direct link.

For further information:
Zoran Vidic
Senior Communications Officer
(613) 295-9298
zoranv@metisnation.ca