Writing from Regina on Treaty 4 territory and homeland of the Métis, Tara Gereaux’s Wild People Quiet is a remarkable and compelling work of historical fiction. 

Wild People Quiet follows the story of a Métis woman named Florence who chooses to leave her family and community behind to embrace her new identity as white. Ultimately, she faces consequences when her past intersects with her present. The novel features two alternating storylines: Florence’s history and her current life.

“Initially, there was only going to be one storyline – that of 1946 – and the past was only going to be fleeting thoughts or memories that surfaced now and again,” Gereaux says.

“However, those memories from the past were too fractal and obscure, and it also became apparent that what happened in the past was key to understanding Florence in the present, her motivations and behaviours, so I took those memories and wrote them out into their own chapters to give them space to breathe.”

The act and craft of beading play an important role in Florence’s life. In Métis culture, beading is central. 

“It’s a shared practice that’s used to pass down stories, teachings, and cultural knowledge. It was – and still is – a symbol of sovereignty and a way to show pride.” 

We discover Florence has been attuned to the importance of beading since she was a child. She has a natural talent for it, but stops beading as an adult to pass in a white world. However, this passing comes at a cost. 

“For Florence, when we first meet her she’s been living for decades as a white woman, but we see immediately that there’s something wrong. Something’s off. On the surface, everything seems fun – she has a good job, her own house, and very nice things. So many nice things! But we also see that she’s living her life in quite a controlled manner with rigid routines and she’s quite separate from everyone else.”

The title, Wild People Quiet, carries deep meaning for the entire book. 

“The title of the book comes from a quote from John A. Macdonald. In 1869, he sent his lieutenant governor out to meet with Louis Riel and his men to negotiate the terms for bringing the Prairie territory into the confederation, and he said he thought his lieutenant governor was going to encounter a good deal of trouble and that it was going to require considerable management (on the part of his lieutenant governor) to keep those ‘wild people quiet.’”

Gereaux finds significance in the quote. Historically, it reflects “the dark times” in Métis history. 

“Negotiations did not go well, leading to further resistance efforts on the part of the Métis, and battles and deaths, and ultimately resulting in the hanging of Louis Riel. 

“Riel’s hanging was said to be for acts of treason, but ultimately it was about silencing Métis resistance, and it was after this that many Métis went underground and hid their Métis identity in order to survive.”