Les Desjarlais : aboriginal ethnogenesis and diaspora in a Canadien family

"This study concludes that the divergent ethnic identities of various mixed-race branches of the Desjarlais family reflect adaptations to changing ecological, social, political, and economic circumstances over time. The process of acquiring aboriginal identities, as reflected in the experiences of this family, evolved from a relatively fluid and self-directed phenomenon based on kinship, to a more rigid, ascribed process shaped by Euro-Canadian government, religious, and economic policies."@en
"This study explores the development of aboriginal ethnic identities in general, and Mťis ethnicity in particular by tracing the origins, development, and dispersion of the various descendants of one Canadien family--the Desjarlais. Generations of Desjarlais men left Quebec to engage in the fur trade in the Great Lakes, Rupert's Land, and Missouri basin regions, where they intermarried with Native populations. Although their numerous descendants share common ancestral roots in Quebec, they became ethnically and culturally diverse. Some Desjarlais descendants are Treaty Indians, others are Mťis, while the remainder are often unaware of any aboriginal heritage. Genealogical techniques were employed to reconstruct the descendant family branches. Historical data and anthropological theory were used to document and interpret the social, economic, and political strategies adopted by family members over time."@en