The Métis are considered to be the first children of Canada and are one of the three major groups of Canadian indigenous people. The Métis descent can be traced to the First Nations and the Europeans lineage. Although the term ‘Métis’ itself means mixed and was used to describe the offspring’s of such unions, there was a gradual establishment of the Métis communities outside the European and First Nations settlements. These Métis men and women eventually married thus, leading to the birth of a new group of Aboriginals- Métis.
Today, the Métis have been given recognition and status equal to that of the First Nations and Inuit. There are around 300,000 people who identify themselves as Métis, making almost one third of the total Canadian Aboriginal population. British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Ontario and New Brunswick are the regions inhabited by the Métis people.
During the 18th and 19th century, the peak of European fur trade in Canada, many European traders married First Nation women. The traders were mostly French, British or Scottish and the women were Cree, Ojibwa or Salteaux. The children born from these marriages were exposed to both the native culture and Catholicism, thus creating a different group of Aboriginal people. The Métis played a very important and successful role in the European fur trade and were favored by the fur traders due to their knowledge of the land, buffalo hunting and for being skillful voyageurs.
Over a period of time, the Métis borrowed, adopted and learnt from other cultures, till they developed their own distinct culture. The language, food, music, dance have all been influenced by the European and native cultures. The language spoken by the Métis is called as Michif, but today they speak French with English as their second language. Music and dance were the soul of Métis culture.Traditionally, the Métis were nomads who hunted caribou, elk, moose, chicken and also engaged in fishing a variety of fish.
Buffalo hunting was an integral part of the Métis as it provided them with a livelihood and helped them endure their way of living. The buffalo hunts took place every spring and fall and the whole family accompanied the hunters. These annual buffalo hunting were a kind of social gathering for the Métis.
Today the Métis have developed and gained popularity in various fields. Christi Belcourt (artist), Joseph Boyden (novelist), Tom Jackson (TV actor), Douglas Cardinal (architect), Brian Trottier (Ice-hockey player), Sharon Bruneau (female bodybuilder) are some of the celebrated Métis people.
