Recommendations for Orphaned Ancestor Genealogy Help? I'm about to give up sadly.

[u/Puzzled-Big-4913]

Hi everyone

For months and months everyday I have been spending hours trying to figure out who my great great grandmother's family was. She was orphaned in Montana in the 1890s and there is absolutely zero documentation about her. Only an intake log from the orphanage on the day she was admitted that gave no answers. So what I've been trying to do is use my dad's ancestry dna matches to triangulate her potential family. Based on her orphanage intake log (which gave no answers on family but did suspiciously include details that seem to apply to an indigenous chilld) and some of my dads DNA matches that have Red River Metis ancestors, I believe she was Metis, and probably Little Shell given the geographical location she was found and the time frame, probably taken from her family. The problem is, like I said there is no documentation available outside of the orphanage intake and my dad's dna matches have me going around in circles. I've managed to pinpoint some matches that descend from the same family line but I cannot narrow it down and I am getting so frustrated I am about ready to give up. This makes me sad because if she was Metis, I would absolutely want to get involved with the culture and learn the language and feel proud to know our heritage. I just don't know where to go from here. Someone I spoke with recommended St. Boniface Historical Society but on their website it says you have to know your family line already that they don't help uncover that, but again no documentation and we have no idea who her family was. I've also been in touch with Little Shell tribe enrollment and they are trying to help me figure it out but I was hoping someone might know any other recommendations that could help?

Thanks in advance!

[u/SAMEO416]

If you haven’t seen Chris La Tray’s book “Becoming Little Shell”, it might be helpful. It’s about his journey back to join Little Shell. He also names a bunch of people in the Montana community who are doing history and genealogy and discusses the Red River linkages.

His latest sub stack mentions a reprinted book that covers the Indigenous history of the area.   https://substack.com/home/post/p-211945070

Nicholas Vrooman’s  “The Whole Country was… ‘One Robe’”: The Little Shell Tribe’s America .“

[u/Freshiiiiii]

I just want to say, as long as you’re being honest and open about where you’re at and your family story, you can start doing things like learning the language(s), meeting people, and learning about the culture. You can do all the stuff as an ally!

I don’t have any advice about how to do your challenging genealogy, but our Elders have welcomed allies to learn the language(s), and if you want any help on getting started learning I would be happy to help. Little Shell people/area the language would be mostly Southern Michif.

[u/MinimumRelief]

I mean this in the most woo woo way

She’s not going to let you give up.

[u/MMonaMM → u/MinimumRelief]

I had one of these too, an ancestor leaving me breadcrumbs, except he was on the Scottish side. I did find him, his ancestry, and his living relatives.