Third graders at Clear Lake Elementary had a special guest Jan. 22. An 18th century French fur trader, played by Genot Picor of Warren, shared stories, music, animal furs, tools and archaeological artifacts in the school’s library.
Picor claims Metis ancestry, the ethnic subgroup derived from French fur traders and “the People of the Three Fires,” Native Americans of the Great Lakes. He has performed all over Michigan.
Dressed up in moccasins, buckskin leggings, a sash and earrings, he stayed in character for the 75-minute interactive performance called “Stories, Songs and Dances of the Metis Voyageur.”
Third graders study Michigan throughout the year. “This visit supports the history component of our social studies curriculum,” explained Clear Lake third grade teacher Julie Adema. “We already covered this content and his visit is a fun way to bring it to life and reinforce the ideas.”

Picor himself used to be a third grade teacher before retiring in 2012. He also used to be a clinical psychologist. When his brother passed away in 1996, he realized he was working too hard, so he quit his practice and joined a theater group. Starting in 2000, he performed storytelling acts like this on his own in the evenings, on weekends and during summer vacation until his retirement. Then he picked it up full time. That’s about when he first came to Clear Lake. They invite him back every year.
“I really do appreciate being invited back,” Picor said. “This is such a fine school to come to. Kids are always well-prepared and polite and just a joy.”
Picor tells the story of a 14-year-old boy living in a Paris orphanage in 1700, who is recruited as an indentured servant into the fur trade as a “voyageur.” He travels across the Atlantic to “New France” (present day Michigan) where he has many adventures. Eventually he earns back his freedom, marries an Odawa woman and they have six children.
“And never once did our children have to live in an orphanage. They lived with us until they were ready to start families of their own. So the story that has a sad beginning in an orphanage in France has a happy ending in Michigan,” his story concludes.
At the risk of sounding corny, Picor said that if the kids take away one thing, he hopes it is “the triumph of the human spirt.”
“The story of an orphan with no opportunities, finds something, works hard, miraculously survives and then goes on to have a family – there were stories like that. Unfortunately, I don’t think the kids get a chance to read those first-person accounts,” he said.
That’s why he brings it to life for them in person.