The 19th-century Hivernant Métis of the western Canadian plains and parklands followed a way of life cantered on communal bison hunting and frequent mobility. Contrary to what might be expected, excavations at five Hivernant wintering sites in Saskatchewan and Alberta consistently have recovered a variety of fragile, transfer-printed, earthenware ceramics. In this context, ceramics, as a form of material culture, incorporate an ambiguity in function and meaning. In exploring this ambiguity, it is suggested that Métis ceramic use originates with an initial concern for female status and etiquette in Red River fur trade society. Ultimately, ceramics assumed a much greater symbolic role, integral in Hivernant Métis social interaction and integration.