Brittany J. L. May My Family
Beads Poetry Journal Family Histories Mental Health
Mental Health Indigenous Education

 The Parisiens + The Normands

My grandpa Armand Parisien (Papas) grew up in St. Germain, Manitoba which is now a community of the City of Winnipeg. His parents were Alma Parisien (Normand) and Joseph Parisien and together they had 17 children, not all of which survived, but they still had a house full of my great aunts and uncles, Dave, Hector, Lorraine, Leona, Theophile, Olive, Gloria, and Andrew. Both Normand and Parisien are recognized Métis surnames and my uncle Armand Jr. has traced our Parisien side back to a Red River settlement just south of Winnipeg not too far from where my Papas grew up. This land was acquired through Métis (or “Half-Breed”) scrip. There are also scrips on the Normand side and I have more digging and learning with my uncle to do there.

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Red River Parisien
Red River Parisien

I submitted my application for Métis Citizenship this week and part of the process is being able to trace your ancestry back to a historic Métis community. My grandfather (5 generations before me) André Parisien belonged to a Métis community just south of where the La Salle River meets the Red River.

My Métis Roots
My Métis Roots

I’m Métis on my mother’s side and as I’ve grown up, I’ve become very driven to learn more about what that means. Thankfully my uncle has done some incredible family tree work. He’s shared many Indigenous books, family documents, photos and bits of history along the way and for that I am grateful.

Magic at the MET
Magic at the MET

Maureen Parisien sits on her living room couch bouncing one grandchild, or as she likes to call them “grand babies.” Another grandchild is running around the living room, testing out her newly discovered mobility. Maureen is frantically flipping through her day planner trying to figure out if one of her 11 grand babies had a birthday that day.

The Gordons + The Roches

My grandma Parisien (née Gordon) immigrated to Canada with her parents and brother, my uncle Donny, when she was very young during World War II. She was born in Surrey, England but my great-grandmother Mary Gordon (née Roche) was from County Clare, Ireland. My great-grandma Mary lived to be 96-years-old and I was very fortunate to spend quite a bit of time with her growing up. I have more to discover on my

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Of the Rock
Of the Rock

Growing up I was lucky enough to know my great-grandma Mary Gordon (née Roche), she lived to be 96 and was full of life and so many stories. She grew up in County Clare, Ireland and immigrated to Canada during World War II with my grandmother and my great-uncle Donny.

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Magic at the MET
Magic at the MET

Maureen Parisien sits on her living room couch bouncing one grandchild, or as she likes to call them “grand babies.” Another grandchild is running around the living room, testing out her newly discovered mobility. Maureen is frantically flipping through her day planner trying to figure out if one of her 11 grand babies had a birthday that day.

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The Mays + The FoxeS

The Mays and Foxes are good ol’ farming families. My grandpa Gerald May was born in Dunrea, Manitoba, to Earl May and Elsie May (Fox). He grew up on the farm with his siblings Ken, Claire, Arlene, Marion, Diane, and Lillian. My great-grandfather Earl ran the homestead and my great-grandmother ran the house but was also a school teacher. I can confidently say she’s the oldest woman I’ve ever known! Lucky me I got to know not one but two great-grandmothers, my great-grandma May died at the age of 102. As a millennium project, my grandpa May transcribed my great uncle (x2) Albert Lloyd Fox’s diary from his time in the Canadian Air Force during World War II.

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Words of War
Words of War

I never knew my great-great-uncle Albert Lloyd Fox (his mother spelled it Loyd). But growing up I always heard of how he died fighting for his country. My grandfather was lucky enough to get hold of his diary that he kept during the war.

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Little Town, Big Heart
Little Town, Big Heart

I always remembered sitting on that itchy chair on those hot summer days watching my brothers’ baseball games. I grew up with that chair “KDM” woven into the back. Kenneth Darren May, my dad, is who the chair was made for. His aunt Lillian, or, aunt Lill made it for him in her days at The Hand Crafter.

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The Fasts + The Epps

My great-grandfather Gerhard Fast and great-grandmother Katharina Fast (Epp) lived in Molotschna a Mennonite Settlement in Russia. After the Russian Revolution, my great-grandparents left their settlement in Russia to come to Canada. They had 6 children Bernhard (died young), Jacob, Cornelius, Bernhard, Anne, and my grandmother Katarina (Kaye). My grandma transcribed stories from after the Russian Revolution from my great-grandfather Gerhard while he was in Westview Lodge in Boissevain, Manitoba.