Empire of Wild

The Prologue introduces the small town of Arcand, Ontario, Canada, and its history. Arcand is an isolated and unremarkable town. Many of the people who live there are Métis, a specific community of Indigenous people who trace their ancestry back to relationships between early European settlers, often of French origins, and First Nations people (See: Background). In 1828, a Métis community from Drummond Island was displaced by the government to a region on Georgian Bay. Since they were not welcomed in the primarily non-Indigenous town, the Metis community established itself along the shoreline. However, as that property became more commercially valuable, they were displaced again. While a few Metis families stayed close to the shoreline, many moved further inland to the community of Arcand, as “family by family, the community was pushed up the road” (2).

Within these Metis communities, folklore and oral tradition tell the story of the rogarou. This mythical monster was often mentioned to serve as a warning for girls and young women to be cautious and avoid being out alone at night, while boys were cautioned from behaving aggressively with women, lest they take on characteristics of the rogarou.