Ringing Through Time: Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Council Revives Community Bell Tradition
- Huron Superior Métis Community
- May 12
- 2 min read
The Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Council has formally adopted a new policy that will see the bell at the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Heritage Centre ring once again for moments of celebration, and remembrance. Adopted on March 18, 2025, the Heritage Centre Bell Ringing Policy reconnects the community with a long-standing Métis tradition rooted in the history of Sault Ste. Marie, the Upper Great Lakes.
Historically, Métis communities marked important events through the ringing of church bells. Bells announced weddings and celebrations, and most solemnly, marked the passing of respected community members. In Sault Ste. Marie, that tradition stretches back generations.
The original Sacred Heart Church, constructed by the Métis community in the 1840s, contained a small church bell used by local families. In 1904, a larger bell was installed in the bell tower of what is now Precious Blood Cathedral, replacing the earlier church. Community remembers Joseph “Joe the Bell” Boissoneau, who was known for ringing the bell at Sacred Heart Church on behalf of the community.
Today, the bell housed within the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Heritage Centre - located in the former St. John’s Anglican Church—will once again become a living part of Métis cultural life.
Under the new policy, the bell will ring on several important occasions throughout the year, including:
• Midnight on December 31 to welcome the New Year
• September 19 to commemorate the anniversary of the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community’s victory in R v Powley
• The beginning of the fall harvest season
• October 21, marking the date in 1850 when the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community petitioned the Crown to protect their River Lot homes
The October 21 ringing carries special meaning. Each year, the bell will toll once for every year that has passed since the 1850 petition went unanswered - a solemn reminder of the community’s longstanding struggle to protect its lands and way of life.
The policy also establishes a protocol for honouring deceased community members who made significant contributions to Métis life. In those cases, the bell will toll once for each year of the individual’s life. Their obituary will be displayed at the Heritage Centre and recorded in a permanent memory book documenting every occasion the bell is rung. Community members may also request the bell be rung to honour loved ones or mark important anniversaries by contacting the Council.
For the Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Council, the policy is about more than ceremony—it is about restoring a meaningful cultural practice and reconnecting the community with its own traditions.
The sound of the bell, once a familiar part of Métis life along the river lots of Sault Ste. Marie, will now once again echo through the community - marking moments of joy, loss, resilience, and remembrance for generations to come.
