The first families in Jean Marie River were descended from three sisters of Fort Providence: Sophie, Cecile and Marguerite. Which the community today are descended from these three sisters who figure prominently in the first nation’s logo.
Marguerite married Baptiste Norwegian. Their son Louis (b. 1907) guided the development of the community for many years.
In the days before treaty, Dene people had only one name but the authorities insisted on being able to distinguish who was related to whom so many first names became surnames such as Sanguez. Sake (actually a nickname meaning sunset), and became enshrined as a surname.
In a memoir compiled by the community, and based on interviews with the elders, James Sanguez eloquently sums up life in JMR:
“This is my life story. Throughout my life nothing has gone wrong with me…I did a lot of hunting in the bush but I have never seen hay fall down…I had 15 kids…and am thankful that I didn’t see any of my kids in the hospital.”
Source: Interviews with members