Searching the Online Database is easy.

1. Simply type in the information you have for the individual you are searching for and click on the "Search" button.
2. Any records that have matching data based on your search criteria will come up as a list. Scroll through the list until you find the person you think might be a match, and click on the link to the historical record. You can sort the search results by the column title (click on the link that says "Sort by this column").
3. You will now be taken to the Online Database record for that historical document. This record contains information taken from the original document, and also provides a link to a digital version of the that document. Click on the "See original archival document" link.
4. You will now be taken to the digital version of the original archival document. You can look at the original document, zoom in, and even print the document by clicking on the "View a printable pdf of this document" link.

If your search does not come up with any records, it could be due to a number of reasons:

1. The spelling of the individual’s name is different in the archival record than what you are using. In this case, try spelling the name in different ways, i.e. Durocher could be spelled Deroche, Duroche, Derocher, etc. You can also search by a partial name, i.e. "Dur" or "Der." Keep in mind that archival records often list women by their maiden names.
2. Your search criteria was too specific. In this case, try broadening your search parameters by only searching by one or two fields. This may mean you will have to spend more time scrolling through the search results in order to find what you are looking for, but it increases your chances of success.
3. The person you are looking for is not listed on any of the records contained in the database at this time. If this is the case, check back in a few weeks. The Northwest "Half-breed" Scrip document series is a very large collection of records (over 14,000 documents), and only a small sample was uploaded to the Online Database in 2007. The remainder of these records will be added to the Online Database in several phases over the next year or two.

It is important to note that an individual person may appear in more than one record. For example, Mary Smith may have applied for Northwest "Half-breed" Scrip (record one), been listed on her husband’s Section 31 Manitoba Act Affidavit (record two), and been enumerated in the 1901 Census (record three). It is also possible for an individual to appear in more than one record within the same documents series. For example, Mary Smith's mother may have listed her as a child on her Scrip Application in 1885, and then Mary Smith may have applied for her own scrip in 1907.

Also, be aware that when searching geographical reference or first names, you may see search results that do not appear to match your search criteria. This is because the search engine will look for records that contain similar information to that you have requested.

The Explore section of the website allows you to browse documents contained in the Online Database without conducting specific searches. This is useful if you are looking for an individual but are uncertain of their name or other information. It is also useful for those who are simply interested in researching the historical Métis Nation.

1. The first letter of individuals’ last names (i.e. all of the surnames beginning with “D”).
2. Birth-year ranges (i.e. 1870 – 1879);.
3. Record Type (i.e. 1901 Census).
4. Record Year Range (i.e. 1880 – 1889).

When exploring the database, be aware that a very large number of records may be displayed depending on the browse category you have selected.

The Family Tree Application begins with a login screen.

Once users have successfully logged into the application, they will see five menu links across the top of the middle section: My Profile, Person Index, Family Summary, View Family Tree, Reports

Welcome Page
This page functions as a starting point, or index point for your family tree(s).  On this page, there are essentially four actions you can take:

• Begin a new family tree
• View all the family members you have entered
• View family members by last name using the Alphabetical index provided.
• If you’ve bookmarked any family trees, they will show up in a list, for easier access.  This functions similarly to a favorites list.

My Profile
This link allows the user to edit and update their registration information, including changing their password.

Person Index
This page functions allows you to perform the same four actions as the Welcome Page:

• Begin a new family tree
• View all the family members you have entered
• View family members by last name using the Alphabetical index provided.
• If you’ve bookmarked any family trees, they will show up in a list, for easier access.  This functions similarly to a favorites list.

Family Summary
This page displays a summary of a family’s members, including mother, father, grandparents (maternal and paternal) and children.  From this page the user has the capability to perform the following actions:

• Edit the parent’s marriage relation
• Edit each person’s individual record
• View the family summary for each child
• Add children to the family
• Add grandparents to the family
• By clicking on each individual’s name, the user can view all the details entered for each person.  This details page also includes matching records from the Metis Archival Project database.  Last name and maiden name are used as the matching criteria.

 Clicking on the edit icon will allow the user to edit the corresponding records.
 Clicking on the view icon will change the family summary to display this person’s family.

If the record has been bookmarked, a message will appear to indicate this:  RECORD IS BOOKMARKED.  You can add or remove a bookmark by editing the marriage relation of the parents (click on the edit icon next to the marriage information, on the right-hand side).

View Family Tree
To view a graphical tree representation of the family, click on the View Family Tree link.  This view will only display three generations at a time. 

If a generation exists before the first node, << arrows will display.  Clicking on this link, will navigate back a previous generation.  If a generation exists after any of the last nodes of the tree, >> arrows will display to allow the user to navigate to the next generation.

 Clicking on the view icon will change this person to the first node of the tree and will display the next two generations of that family, if any.

Again, clicking on the name of a person will display all the details entered for the person, including matching records from the Metis Archival Project database.  Last name and maiden name are used as the matching criteria.

Reports
Various reports are available for users to generate on their family tree(s), including:

1. GEDCOM file:  export your family tree(s) into a GEDCOM xml formatted file to use with other genealogy software.
2. Family Branch Report  - choose the family and number of generations you would like to generate a report for.

The Learn section of the website provides background information about each of the document series that can be accessed through the Online Database. This section also provides general information on Métis history, and features a gallery of historical photographs. Click on the link to the downloadable pdf of this section if you would like to print the entire section and/or read it offline.