About The Project

The Métis Nation Historical Online Database is a web-interfaced database that contains textual information extracted from archival documents relevant to the historical Métis Nation. The website also contains high-resolution digital photography and scans of many of the original documents represented in the database. The Historical Online Database allows users to access Métis related archival information, previously only available at Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa) or on microfilm. Importantly, genealogists and Métis users of this website are able to construct Métis family trees using the documents in the database. Providing Métis users with access to their ancestors' documents facilitates the process of cultural re-connection, identity reclamation, and nation building. The Historical Online Database is also a powerful educational tool for teachers, students, curriculum developers, and the general public.

The 1901 Census, Section 31 Manitoba Act Affidavits, and North West "Half-breed" Scrip Application records in this database represent information that has been extracted from archival documents and entered into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and/or Filemaker Pro databases. The corresponding images for this data have been scanned or digitally photographed. All of the above data was then imported into a customized Oracle-based database designed by staff at the University of Alberta's Applied Information and Communications Technology (AICT) section. This database is hosted by the University of Alberta Digital Object Repository (UADOR), formerly known as SunSITE. UADOR is a service provided by AICT to help academics and researchers at the University of Alberta create and store their research work in a safe, secure, and central digital repository.

As of March 2007, only the Section 31 Manitoba Act Affidavits and 1901 Census document series are thoroughly represented (within a 5% margin) in the Historical Online Database. Additionally, small samples of the Northwest "Half-breed" Scrip Applications, 1881 Census, and 1891 Census document series are represented. Completion of these document series will require several more years of funding and development commitments. Other archival records that describe historical Métis populations (such as the Red River Censuses, 1827-1849) could also be included in the database as the project progresses. Work on the Historical Online Database will be ongoing pending additional funding.