I did not grow up knowing I was Red River Métis. Some would immediately question my Indigeneity solely based on that fact. However, not understanding your heritage is a common story within my community and a story that is coloured by insidious erasure. Reclaiming Red River Métis identity is not only a moving experience, but also an incredibly important one. It’s important to defy what colonizers intended and reclaim what my ancestors had to hide, or else face residential schools or other consequences.
The Red River Métis people are a community with historic ties to the Red River settlement. We are a people with unique language, art, hunting practices and a distinct culture. At the genesis of the Red River Métis people, European settler men came to what would one day become Canada and intermarried with the First Nations women there. These voyageur men had come to the land in search of beaver pelts for the ever-growing fur trade throughout the 17th century. They had children and formed a community with their combined cultures, these children becoming the first generation of the Red River Métis. The fur trade was an important part for the growth of our Nation for the coming centuries. In the 19th century, battles where the Métis flag was first flown appear in the historic records, like in the Bataille de la Grenouillère. In 1870, Louis Riel had established the first provisional government and brought Manitoba into the constitution of Canada, under the promise of a land allotment to future generations of Métis. Soon after, Canada placed a bounty on Louis Riel for his resistance against colonization and ultimately hung him for treason. The land promise was never fulfilled and Louis Riel was wrongly convicted, which explains Canada’s current attempts at reconciliation with the Red River Métis.
The genesis of the Red River Métis has led to a common misconception: that we are simply a combination of white and First Nations blood, when in fact being Métis has nothing to do with blood quantum. That is to say, citizenship in our Nation is not about how much First Nations genes one inherited. It is about what came after those first children, the community that emerged. Essentially, it is based on who your ancestors were and if your family was a part of the distinct Red River Métis culture.
Our floral beadwork, the Michif language, the buffalo hunt. Our fiddle songs and Red River Jig. These are just a few distinct aspects of the Red River Métis Nation that make us who we are. Our floral beadwork uses techniques from our First Nations mothers and takes inspiration from the flowers in the plains. Our language, Michif, which is a unique combination of French and Plains Cree. The buffalo hunt is no longer widely practiced, but historically, the Red River Métis were skilled hunters and followed strict rules of the hunt. Beyond that, our shared values are what makes the uniqueness of our people obvious. Our generous spirit and tendency to help anyone in need, that I have felt many times in my community. Our sense of humour, our love of the outdoors, the warmness I feel from my people is what makes us who we are.
Our community has no blood percentage. It’s for this very reason that during the peak of residential schools, the Métis were sometimes, but not always, white-passing enough to claim their heritage as French-Canadian rather than Indigenous. This was a popular and necessary method of survival at the time that has yet to be undone. It had a generational impact which had led many Red River Métis people today to not really understand what it means to be Métis. Many Métis think their Indigeneity is not valid enough to be “really” Indigenous.
However, the most powerful form of reconciliation those individuals can do is to reclaim their Indigeneity, despite attempts of colonization and erasure. That is what my mother and I have done. My great-grandmother used to insist to my mother that she was French-Canadian, and the topic of Indigeneity was only spoken of in hushed tones. The idea of my mother being Métis was taboo to say the least. We realised much later that it was very likely that my great-grandmother spoke Michif but was forced to forget the language and her culture to protect our family from residential schools and judgement. The reason she so vehemently denied Indigeneity was out of fear it could hurt her family, a fear that was passed on to her from her family, who faced harassment during the reign of terror against the Métis.
So, my mother grew up with the notion that she may be Red River Métis, but didn’t understand what it meant, and therefore raised me the same. It was not until my mother and I became involved with the community again that we started to truly understand and reclaim our Indigeneity. Since then, I have been eternally grateful for every moment I’ve been able to spend with my community.
Every interaction I have with another Red River Métis person solidifies my identity and understanding of my community. It is in no way just a fact about myself — it is an explanation of all my life thus far. It’s much more than realising there is different blood in my family tree than I once thought.
Understanding one’s Indigeneity is like looking at an assortment of puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit your whole life, and when you finally collect all the pieces, it clicks. Suddenly, instead of a unique collection of family quirks, traditions, and norms, you’re looking at a Red River Métis family. You realize that the people closest to you in your life are also Métis and you’ve been a part of the community this whole time — you just never truly understood it.
That is why reclaiming my Red River Métis heritage is so important. It’s important to do right by my family who had to hide. It’s important to understand myself and the people close to me. It’s important because I love being Red River Métis. Despite what colonizers have tried to enforce for centuries, I will not be quiet about it.