Isidore Zastre Reel
recorded by Louis Lafreniere & The Rhythm Rouges
My 3rd Great Grandmother, Genevieve Zastre was the daughter of the French-Canadian* Hudson Bay Company voyageur Louis Gonzague Zastre and his Metis wife, Angelique Parisian. She married Pierre Allarie from the Parish of Baie St. Paul in 1858. They had a son- Napoleon Allarie- who married Marie Rose Piche, Metis grandaughter of one of the original Granttown families. Their wedding was witnessed by Napoleons uncle-Genevieves younger brother, Isidore Zastre. Isidore was a Manitoba champion of Jigging and Fiddle playing, and I can only imagine any Metis wedding where he was in attendance was one to remember!
As for the recording itself: In doing family research and coming across information about Isidore's famed talents, and given lots of jigs/metis fiddle reels are often named after its composer I decided to search on Google "Isidore Zastre Reel Metis Jigging Fiddle"...No results. A search through Microsoft Bing however did bring up an Ebay Listing, from Australia of all places - A vinyl record called "Louis Lafreniere & The Rhythm Rouges". A picture of a Red River Cart Wheel displayed as the cover art of the LP. Sure enough, flipped over on the track listing-Side 2, track 4- Isidore Zastre Reel. Purchased and shipped as quickly as I could get my hands on it. The record has no label, studio, production notes other than listing the members of the band. No year listed on the record either but my guess would be the 1960's or 70's. Louis Lafreniere is a grandson of Isidore Zastre.
* Louis Gonzague Zastre was by birth technically a French-Canadian, however the origins of the Zastre lineage in Canada isnt so straight-forward. Louis Gonzg. father was Jean Andre Sasse, a Hessian (German State) Soldier. The Hessian were a hired army by the British Empire, and brought to North America in during the American Revolution. Afterword's, handfuls of Hessian soldiers decided to stay in British North America, speci
li toneur de la tayr (michif: land thunder). Design is inspired by the buffalo's resilience: from struggle and near extinction to thriving, growing populations. It draws parallels to many of our Indigenous nations and peoples over the last 100+ years, but the final message is the same: We are still here. The unhidden Buffalo shakes the earth with each step. The florals transition from faded, hidden and in the background to bursting with colour and full of life: A celebration of our peoples presence & strength on National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Thank you to EleV Indigenous & Mastercard Foundation. EleV recognizes that Indigenous youth are the youngest, fastest growing population in the country and the leaders and agents of change for their communities and the country as a whole.. #NationalIndigenousPeoplesDay #metis #michif #IndigenousLanguages
