Muskrat French

The Muskrat French (also known as the Detroit River French Canadians) are an ethnic group and language found along the Detroit River and around Lake St. Clair in southeastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario. Like many Franco-Ontarians, this group is characterized by a common history as descendants of the area's earliest habitants, voyageurs, and coureurs des bois who settled in the Pays d'en Haut, often forming relationships with local Native American women.

In the context of the North American fur trade, French traders and settlers established vast networks of trading posts for trade with the Native Americans. Many voyageurs and coureurs des bois entered into formal or informal unions with Native women, fathering a large population of Métis across many parts of New France. Most of New France is now part of the United States.

Contemporary expressions of the Muskrat French culture and community can be found both within the "Muskrat French" population, a subculture that is not widely known beyond the region or outside of its members, and within the broader community of Detroit residents who draw on local history for events. Within the general community, the Marche du Nain Rouge, an annual early Spring festival draws on the early Detroit folkstory of the Nain Rouge (Red Dwarf) to "expiate" bad influences from the city. A local historical society, the Detroit Drunken Historical Society, used the collection of folklore Legends of le Détroit to create a community event celebrating Detroit's birthday in 2015. In the community of French Canadians, annual dinners featuring muskrat are held around Detroit, Monroe, and Windsor, continuing a tradition stretching back to the earliest days of settlement. In Monroe, Michigan, the folklore figure Loup Garou, has been featured in events for children sponsored by the Monroe County Museum at the early French site, the Navarre Trading Post. Monroe, Michigan community organizations have long featured a muskrat as mascot, highlighting the local Muskrat French culture and its prominence in the area.

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